The Happy Prince

High above the city, on
a tall column, stood the
statue of the Happy
Prince. He was gilded all
over with thin leaves of
fine gold, for eyes he
had two bright
sapphires, and a large
red ruby glowed on his
sword-hilt.
He was very much
admired indeed.'He is as
beautiful as a
weathercock,' remarked
one of the Town
Councillors who wished
to gain a reputation for
having artistic taste;
'only not quite so
useful,' he added,
fearing lest people
should think him
unpractical, which he
really was not.
'Why can't you be like
the Happy Prince?'
asked a sensible
mother of her little boy
who was crying for the
moon. 'The Happy Prince
never dreams of crying
for anything.'
'I am glad there is
some one in the world
who is quite happy',
muttered a
disappointed man as he
gazed at the wonderful
statue.
'He looks just like an
angel,' said the Charity
Children as they came
out of the cathedral in
their bright scarlet
cloaks, and their clean
white pinafores.
'How do you know?'
said the Mathematical
Master, 'you have never
seen one.'
'Ah! but we have, in
our dreams,' answered
the children; and the
Mathematical Master
frowned and looked
very severe, for he did
not approve of children
dreaming.
One night there flew
over the city a little
Swallow. His friends had
gone away to Egypt six
weeks before, but he
had stayed behind, for
he was in love with the
most beautiful Reed. He
had met her early in the
spring as he was flying
down the river after a
big yellow moth, and
had been so attracted
by her slender waist
that he had stopped to
talk to her.
'Shall I love you said
the Swallow', who liked
to come to the point at
once, and the Reed
made him a low bow. So
he flew round and round
her, touching the water
with his wings, and
making silver ripples.
This was his courtship,
and it lasted all through
the summer.
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'It is a ridiculous
attachment,' twittered
the other Swallows,
'she has no money, and
far too many relations;'
and indeed the river
was quite full of Reeds.
Then, when the
autumn came, they all
flew away.
After they had gone
he felt lonely, and began
to tire of his lady-love.
'She has no
conversation,' he said,
'and I am afraid that
she is a coquette, for
she is always flirting
with the wind.' And
certainly, whenever the
wind blew, the Reed
made the most graceful
curtsies. I admit that
she is domestic,' he
continued, 'but I love
travelling, and my wife,
consequently, should
love travelling also.'
'Will you come away
with me?' he said finally
to her; but the Reed
shook her head, she
was so attached to her
home.
'You have been
trifling with me,' he
cried, 'I am off to the
Pyramids. Good-bye!'
and he flew away.
All day long he flew,
and at night-time he
arrived at the city.
'Where shall I put up?'
he said 'I hope the town
has made preparations.'
Then he saw the
statue on the tall
column. 'I will put up
there,' he cried; 'it is a
fine position with plenty
of fresh air.' So he
alighted just between
the feet of the Happy
Prince.
'I have a golden
bedroom,' he said softly
to himself as he looked
round, and he prepared
to go to sleep; but just
as he was putting his
head under his wing, a
large drop of water fell
on him.'What a curious
thing!' he cried, 'there is
not a single cloud in the
sky, the stars are quite
clear and bright, and yet
it is raining. The climate
in the north of Europe is
really dreadful. The
Reed used to like the
rain, but that was
merely her selfishness.'
Then another drop
fell.
'What is the use of a
statue if it cannot keep
the rain off?' he said; 'I
must look for a good
chimney-pot,' and he
determined to fly away.
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But before he had
opened his wings, a
third drop fell, and he
looked up, and saw -
Ah! what did he see?
The eyes of the
Happy Prince were filled
with tears, and tears
were running down his
golden cheeks. His face
was so beautiful in the
moonlight that the little
Swallow was filled with
pity.
'Who are you?' he
said.
'I am the Happy
Prince.'
'Why are you
weeping then?' asked
the Swallow; 'you have
quite drenched me.'
'When I was alive
and had a human heart,'
answered the statue, 'I
did not know what
tears were, for I lived in
the Palace of Sans-Souci
where sorrow is not
allowed to enter. In the
daytime I played with
my companions in the
garden, and in the
evening I led the dance
in the Great Hall. Round
the garden ran a very
lofty wall, but I never
cared to ask what lay
beyond it, everything
about me was so
beautiful. My courtiers
called me the Happy
Prince, and happy indeed
I was, if pleasure be
happiness. So I lived,
and so I died. And now
that I am dead they
have set me up here so
high that I can see all
the ugliness and all the
misery of my city, and
though my heart is
made of lead yet I
cannot choose but
weep.'
'What, is he not solid
gold?' said the Swallow
to himself. He was too
polite to make any
personal remarks out
loud.
'Far away,' continued
the statue in a low
musical voice,'far away
in a little street there is
a poor house. One of
the windows is open,
and through it I can see
a woman seated at a
table. Her face is thin
and worn, and she has
coarse, red hands, all
pricked by the needle,
for she is a
seamstress. She is
embroidering passion-
fowers on a satin gown
for the loveliest of the
Queen's maids-of-
honour to wear at the
next Court-ball. In a bed
in the corner of the
room her little boy is
lying ill. He has a fever,
and is asking for
oranges. His mother has
nothing to give him but
river water, so he is
crying. Swallow,
Swallow, little Swallow,
will you not bring her
the ruby out of my
sword-hilt? My feet are
fastened to this
pedestal and I cannot
move.'
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'I am waited for in
Egypt,' said the
Swallow. 'My friends are
flying up and down the
Nile, and talking to the
large lotus flowers.
Soon they will go to
sleep in the tomb of the
great King. The King is
there himself in his
painted coffin. He is
wrapped in yellow linen,
and embalmed with
spices. Round his neck is
a chain of pale green
jade, and his hands are
like withered leaves.'
'Swallow, Swallow,
little Swallow,' said the
Prince,'will you not stay
with me for one night,
and be my messenger?
The boy is so thirsty,
and the mother so sad.
'I don't think I like
boys,' answered the
Swallow. 'Last summer,
when I was staying on
the river, there were
two rude boys, the
miller's sons, who were
always throwing
stones at me. They
never hit me, of course;
we swallows fly far too
well for that, and
besides, I come of a
family famous for its
agility; but still, it was a
mark of disrespect.'
But the Happy Prince
looked so sad that the
little Swallow was
sorry. 'It is very cold
here,' he said 'but I will
stay with you for one
night, and be your
messenger.'
'Thank you, little
Swallow,' said the
Prince.
So the Swallow
picked out the great
ruby from the Prince's
sword, and flew away
with it in his beak over
the roofs of the town.
He passed by the
cathedral tower, where
the white marble angels
were sculptured. He
passed by the palace
and heard the sound of
dancing. A beautiful girl
came out on the
balcony with her lover.
'How wonderful the
stars are,' he said to
her,'and how wonderful
is the power of love!' 'I
hope my dress will be
ready in time for the
State-ball,' she
answered; 'I have
ordered passion-
flowers to be
embroidered on it; but
the seamstresses are
so lazy.'
He passed over the
river, and saw the
lanterns hanging to the
masts of the ships. He
passed over the Ghetto,
and saw the old Jews
bargaining with each
other, and weighing out
money in copper scales.
At last he came to the
poor house and looked
in. The boy was tossing
feverishly on his bed,
and the mother had
fallen asleep, she was
so tired. In he hopped,
and laid the great ruby
on the table beside the
woman's thimble. Then
he flew gently round
the bed, fanning the
boy's forehead with his
wings. 'How cool I feel,'
said the boy, 'I must be
getting better;' and he
sank into a delicious
slumber.
< 5 >
Then the Swallow
flew back to the Happy
Prince, and told him
what he had done. 'It is
curious,' he remarked,
'but I feel quite warm
now, although it is so
cold.'
'That is because you
have done a good
action,' said the Prince.
And the little Swallow
began to think, and
then he fell asleep.
Thinking always made
him sleepy.
When day broke he
flew down to the river
and had a bath.
'What a remarkable
phenomenon,' said the
Professor of
Omithology as he was
passing over the bridge.
'A swallow in winter!'
And he wrote a long
letter about it to the
local newspaper. Every
one quoted it, it was
full of so many words
that they could not
understand.
'To-night I go to
Egypt,' said the
Swallow, and he was in
high spirits at the
prospect. He visited all
the public monuments,
and sat a long time on
top of the church
steeple. Wherever he
went the Sparrows
chirruped, and said to
each other, 'What a
distinguished stranger!'
so he enjoyed himself
very much.
When the moon rose
he flew back to the
Happy Prince. 'Have you
any commissions for
Egypt?' he cried; 'I am
just starting.'
'Swallow, Swallow,
little Swallow,' said the
Prince, 'will you not stay
with me one night
longer?'
'I am waited for in
Egypt,' answered the
Swallow. To-morrow
my friends will fly up to
the Second Cataract.
The river-horse couches
there among the
bulrushes, and on a
great granite throne
sits the God Memnon.
All night long he
watches the stars, and
when the morning star
shines he utters one cry
of joy, and then he is
silent. At noon the
yellow lions come down
to the water's edge to
drink. They have eyes
like green beryls, and
their roar is louder than
the roar of the
cataract.'
'Swallow, Swallow,
little Swallow,' said the
Prince,'far away across
the city I see a young
man in a garret. He is
leaning over a desk
covered with papers,
and in a tumbler by his
side there is a bunch of
withered violets. His
hair is brown and crisp,
and his lips are red as a
pomegranate, and he
has large and dreamy
eyes. He is trying to
finish a play for the
Director of the Theatre,
but he is too cold to
write any more. There
is no fire in the grate,
and hunger has made
him faint.'
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'I will wait with you
one night longer,' said
the Swallow, who really
had a good heart. 'Shall I
take him another ruby?'
'Alas! I have no ruby
now,' said the Prince;
'my eyes are all that I
have left. They are
made of rare sapphires,
which were brought out
of India a thousand
years ago. Pluck out one
of them and take it to
him. He will sell it to the
jeweller, and buy food
and firewood, and finish
his play.'
'Dear Prince,' said the
Swallow,'I cannot do
that;' and he began to
weep.
'Swallow, Swallow,
little Swallow,' said the
Prince, 'do as I
command you.'
So the Swallow
plucked out the Prince's
eye, and flew away to
the student's garret. It
was easy enough to
get in, as there was a
hole in the roof.
Through this he darted,
and came into the room.
The young man had his
head buried in his hands,
so he did not hear the
flutter of the bird's
wings, and when he
looked up he found the
beautiful sapphire lying
on the withered violets.
'I am beginning to be
appreciated,' he cried;
'this is from some great
admirer. Now I can
finish my play,' and he
looked quite happy.
The next day the
Swallow flew down to
the harbour. He sat on
the mast of a large
vessel and watched the
sailors hauling big
chests out of the hold
with ropes. 'Heave a-
hoy!' they shouted as
each chest came up. 'I
am going to Egypt!' cried
the Swallow, but
nobody minded, and
when the moon rose he
flew back to the Happy
Prince.
'I am come to bid
you good-bye,' he cried.
'Swallow, Swallow,
little Swallow,' said the
Prince,'will you not stay
with me one night
longer?'
'It is winter,'
answered the Swallow,
and the chill snow will
soon be here. In Egypt
the sun is warm on the
green palm-trees, and
the crocodiles lie in the
mud and look lazily
about them. My
companions are building
a nest in the Temple of
Baalbec, and the pink
and white doves are
watching them, and
cooing to each other.
Dear Prince, I must
leave you, but I will
never forget you, and
next spring I will bring
you back two beautiful
jewels in place of those
you have given away.
The ruby shall be redder
than a red rose, and the
sapphire shall be as blue
as the great sea.
< 7 >
'In the square
below,' said the Happy
Prince, 'there stands a
little match-girl. She has
let her matches fall in
the gutter, and they are
all spoiled. Her father
will beat her if she does
not bring home some
money, and she is
crying. She has no shoes
or stockings, and her
little head is bare. Pluck
out my other eye, and
give it to her, and her
father will not beat her.
'I will stay with you
one night longer,' said
the Swallow,'but I
cannot pluck out your
eye. You would be quite
blind then.'
'Swallow, Swallow,
little Swallow,' said the
Prince, 'do as I
command you.'
So he plucked out
the Prince's other eye,
and darted down with
it. He swooped past the
match-girl, and slipped
the jewel into the palm
of her hand. 'What a
lovely bit of glass,' cried
the little girl; and she
ran home, laughing.
Then the Swallow
came back to the Prince.
'You are blind now,' he
said, 'so I will stay with
you always.'
'No, little Swallow,'
said the poor Prince,
'you must go away to
Egypt.'
'I will stay with you
always,' said the
Swallow, and he slept
at the Prince's feet.
All the next day he
sat on the Prince's
shoulder, and told him
stories of what he had
seen in strange lands.
He told him of the red
ibises, who stand in
long rows on the banks
of the Nile, and catch
gold fish in their beaks;
of the Sphinx, who is as
old as the world itself,
and lives in the desert,
and knows everything;
of the merchants, who
walk slowly by the side
of their camels, and
carry amber beads in
their hands; of the King
of the Mountains of the
Moon, who is as black
as ebony, and worships
a large crystal; of the
great green snake that
sleeps in a palm-tree,
and has twenty priests
to feed it with honey-
cakes; and of the
pygmies who sail over a
big lake on large flat
leaves, and are always
at war with the
butterflies.
< 8 >
'Dear little Swallow,'
said the Prince, 'you tell
me of marvellous
things, but more
marvellous than
anything is the
suffering of men and of
women. There is no
Mystery so great as
Misery. Fly over my city,
little Swallow, and tell
me what you see
there.'
So the Swallow flew
over the great city, and
saw the rich making
merry in their beautiful
houses, while the
beggars were sitting at
the gates. He flew into
dark lanes, and saw the
white faces of starving
children looking out
listlessly at the black
streets. Under the
archway of a bridge
two little boys were
lying in one another's
arms to try and keep
themselves warm.
'How hungry we are'
they said. 'You must not
lie here,' shouted the
Watchman, and they
wandered out into the
rain.
Then he flew back
and told the Prince
what he had seen.
'I am covered with
fine gold,' said the
Prince, 'you must take it
off, leaf by leaf, and
give it to my poor; the
living always think that
gold can make them
happy.'
Leaf after leaf of
the fine gold the
Swallow picked off, till
the Happy Prince looked
quite dull and grey. Leaf
after leaf of the fine
gold he brought to the
poor, and the children's
faces grew rosier, and
they laughed and played
games in the street.
'We have bread nod'
they cried.
Then the snow
came, and after the
snow came the frost.
The streets looked as if
they were made of
silver, they were so
bright and glistening;
long icicles like crystal
daggers hung down
from the eaves of the
houses, everybody
went about in furs, and
the little boys wore
scarlet caps and skated
on the ice.
The poor little
Swallow grew colder
and colder, but he would
not leave the Prince, he
loved him too well. He
picked up crumbs
outside the baker's door
when the baker was
not looking, and tried to
keep himself warm by
flapping his wings.
But at last he knew
that he was going to
die. He had just
strength to fly up to
the Prince's shoulder
once more.'Good-bye,
dear Prince!' he
murmured, 'will you let
me kiss your hand?'
< 9 >
'I am glad that you
are going to Egypt at
last, little Swallow,' said
the Prince, 'you have
stayed too long here;
but you must kiss me
on the lips, for I love
you.'
'It is not to Egypt
that I am going,' said
the Swallow. I am going
to the House of Death.
Death is the brother of
Sleep, is he not?'
And he kissed the
Happy Prince on the lips,
and fell down dead at
his feet.
At that moment a
curious crack sounded
inside the statue, as if
something had broken.
The fact is that the
leaden heart had
snapped right in two. It
certainly was a
dreadfully hard frost.
Early the next
morning the Mayor was
walking in the square
below in company with
the Town Councillors.
As they passed the
column he looked up at
the statue: 'Dear me!
how shabby the Happy
Prince looks!' he said.
'How shabby indeed!'
cried the Town
Councillors, who always
agreed with the Mayor,
and they went up to
look at it.
'The ruby has fallen
out of his sword, his
eyes are gone, and he is
golden no longer,' said
the Mayor; 'in fact, he is
little better than a
beggar!'
'Little better than a
beggar,' said the Town
Councillors.
'And there is actually
a dead bird at his feet,'
continued the Mayor.
'We must really issue a
proclamation that birds
are not to be allowed to
die here.' And the Town
Clerk made a note of
the suggestion.
So they pulled down
the statue of the
Happy Prince. 'As he is
no longer beautiful he is
no longer useful,' said
the Art Professor at
the University.
Then they melted
the statue in a furnace,
and the Mayor held a
meeting of the
Corporation to decide
what was to be done
with the metal. 'We
must have another
statue, of course,' he
said, 'and it shall be a
statue of myself.'
< 10 >
'Of myself,' said each
of the Town Councillors,
and they quarrelled.
When I last heard of
them they were
quarrelling still.
'What a strange
thing!' said the overseer
of the workmen at the
foundry.'This broken
lead heart will not melt
in the furnace. We must
throw it away.' So they
threw it on a dust-heap
where the dead
Swallow was also lying.
'Bring me the two
most precious things in
the city,' said God to
one of His Angels; and
the Angel brought Him
the leaden heart and
the dead bird.
'You have rightly
chosen,' said God,'for in
my garden of Paradise
this little bird shall sing
for evermore, and in my
city of gold the Happy
Prince shall praise me.'