The Happy Prince
The Happy Prince
Note: Oscar Wilde intended this story to be read to children
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.
'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.
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.'
'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.
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.'
'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.
'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.
'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?'
'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.'
'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.'
Comments
Ive been studying the happy prince in enhlish at school and..
Ive been studying the happy prince in enhlish at school and I think it passes on a very valuable message!
I first read this story when I was about nine or ten. I..
I first read this story when I was about nine or ten. I loved it then as I do now,forty years later. Sad stories should be read more often to children.
not bad not bad 6 out of 10. A bit long dont you think maybe?
not bad not bad 6 out of 10. A bit long dont you think maybe?
I read thi story when I was in year 5 I feel in love with..
I read thi story when I was in year 5 I feel in love with the authors way of explaining his stories the best was the selfish giant.
I love this story, it will always be with me until the age..
I love this story, it will always be with me until the age of 50.
I am totally unhappy with this story. the happy prince and..
I am totally unhappy with this story. the happy prince and the bird must not die. I really admire them.
This story to me is a classic example of love in the purist..
This story to me is a classic example of love in the purist form. I adore the fact that others around the statue are blinded to the beauty of the happy prince, as he sheads the glittery coating and jewels that adorn him, how even more magnificant he become. I dont find this story sad in the slightest.....it gives us hope
I heard this story at summer camp when I was 8. When I was..
I heard this story at summer camp when I was 8. When I was 17 and became a camp counslor I retold the story to a group of 235 children who all sat silently and listened, as I had at 8. I am an adult now and will never let the moral of this story leave my heart. I wish all children could be told this story by a loving adult. B-
I listened to this story on a 78 record as a child many..
I listened to this story on a 78 record as a child many times. I had not heard it for about 50 years when I heard it yesterday on a local Christian radio station.
Fabulous! Fantastic piece of art. Author is at his best...
Fabulous! Fantastic piece of art. Author is at his best. Supereb.
I love this story. And there is something sad and beautiful..
I love this story. And there is something sad and beautiful in it.
Marvellous! Im being honest,this is the most wonderful..
Marvellous! Im being honest,this is the most wonderful story Ive ever read in my whole life!
this is a touching story.I couldt do it so well if i were..
this is a touching story.I couldt do it so well if i were the prince. i love this story .
it is realy a good story with a good message everything is..
it is realy a good story with a good message everything is mortal except a pure heart,,,,heart that throbs for others weeps for others is the only thing on GODS EARTH THAT IS ETERNAL
One of the best stories/tales I have ever read.
One of the best stories/tales I have ever read.
i love this story there for now i would make reserch about..
i love this story there for now i would make reserch about this story in my collage,i need heelp in this resarch
i think it is a diducatual story which has a great meaning...
i think it is a diducatual story which has a great meaning. nada
i loove this tale so much. I thought it was such a..
i loove this tale so much. I thought it was such a beautiful story and has a very hopeful message. sar xx
i read this story as a young boy, maybe about 10 years old...
i read this story as a young boy, maybe about 10 years old. it was part of an anthology of many short stories by different authors. it was many years ago before i knew who oscar wilde really was. his contribution to literature will live forever, and this will forever be my favorite.
I was 29 years old when I first read this story. And my..
I was 29 years old when I first read this story. And my heart filled with tears and joy both at the same time for the prince and the swallow.
Its indeed a great story. I wish I could write something like this.
And its quite funny about that mayor and city councellor.
I have read the story and think that it is very sweet.love..
I have read the story and think that it is very sweet.love from linn
at a first glance it looks like a simple short story but..
at a first glance it looks like a simple short story but ýts underlying meaning is deeper when read careflly.from simple things that we ignore,it gives us an important message
the story is so so beautiful that it shows love and..
the story is so so beautiful that it shows love and friendship in onee anothers company. true love,who can transcend that.It shows that in life that someone still cares though theres so much of gllom and pain.The story makes a heart bleed. Wish man never had to run so fast in life but enjoys what God has given. CHeers!!
I study this story at univercity and the profesor asked us..
I study this story at univercity and the profesor asked us to write the symbolism of it. I adore it too much.The AUTHER IS VERY sensitive and clever.I will never forget it.I will narrate it to my childen when I become a mother.
this story is one of the very few that touched my heart. it..
this story is one of the very few that touched my heart. it shows of selfless love and compassion.
I think there are many of good message given by the author..
I think there are many of good message given by the author to the reader. For example we have to share our happiness with each other. we have to be kind with people if we are rich.
what a woderful story... I read it for my college..
what a woderful story...
I read it for my college assigment...
this story tells us that we should slso care to the people around us...
its a shame is we cant do something right to the poor meanwhile we are rich..what if we are the poor and no one would help us...?
so, be nice to every one especially to people in need...
so every one can be HAPPY...Rina
I heard this story narrated on Radio 7 and thought it was a..
I heard this story narrated on Radio 7 and thought it was a beautiful story, it reduced me to tears at the end.
i like stories
i like stories
no matter when this story is written, it has a very..
no matter when this story is written, it has a very important message even to this day... that shows how that ppl will never change...the good are always good and the bad will nevr change... very bad, isnt it... lets make a change...
So Beautiful. I cant get over Wildes stories, keep on..
So Beautiful. I cant get over Wildes stories, keep on reading to make the world a better place... -ndei
I heard this history long time ago wen I was a child in..
I heard this history long time ago wen I was a child in Ecuador, I forgot almost about it, and now I still cry wen I read it
I wish Statues could speak even now...like the happy..
I wish Statues could speak even now...like the happy prince!
Lovely story, depicts sacrifice, love, care and valuable message to the world.
Best of Wilde..
I really liked this story! Its beautiful with a message and..
I really liked this story! Its beautiful with a message and will give children the ability to explore their imaginations. I have heard that many people cry when they read this story, I did too, but maybe thats was because I had a cold? Anyway, well done Oscar Wilde!
Its a beautiful story. I read it when i was in 10th..... i..
Its a beautiful story. I read it when i was in 10th..... i cried after reading.Wish people have such heart which beats for doing well to others.
Richa Henry
a charming story.
a charming story.
This is a very moving short-story that has always made me..
This is a very moving short-story that has always made me shed some tears, from the first time I read it, as a child, to this very moment.Oscar Wildes wit is always present, but the idea expressed is pessimistic: the prince gives away all his goods and gets no gratitude, not even from those who benefit from them. Both he and the little swallow sacrifice their lives and in the end they are dumped as if they were nothing but rubbish. But their sacrifice was not in vain: although men, out of sheer vanity, didnt give them the right value and wasted their time arguing about whose statue should replace the Happy Princes,God asked an angel for the two most precious things on Earth and what he got was the alarm clock and the dead swallow. This sums it up. I am glad there was Oscar Wilde to give us such timeless token of beauty.
I remember this from when I was VERY young. It always..
I remember this from when I was VERY young. It always stuck in my mind, but I just today, at age 66, discovered (or REdiscovered) the story and learned that Oscar Wilde wrote it. And even today, reading it brings tears to my eyes.
The story inspired me to become a good person..
The story inspired me to become a good person..
i love this story very much....it felt my hurt so good.
i love this story very much....it felt my hurt so good.
The most inspirable and lovable story that I had ever read...
The most inspirable and lovable story that I had ever read. I loved it very much and appreciate the work of the writer who wrote this fabulous story.
Alok Mathur (Delhi,India)
i really do like this story It makes me think really hard..
i really do like this story It makes me think really hard about things! :)
POSTED BY CHRISTIN AND CAROLIN 28 AUGUST AT 2.13 PM. I..
POSTED BY CHRISTIN AND CAROLIN 28 AUGUST AT 2.13 PM. I LIKED THIS STORY BECAUSE IT IS A ADVENTEROUS STORY WRITTEN BY OSCAR WILDE.IN THIS STORY THE HAPPY PRINCE IS GIVING ALL HIS VALUABLE THINGS TO THE POOR SUCH AS RUBY FROM HIS SWORD,THE RARE SAPHIRES FROM HIS EYES WHICH MADE HIM BLINDAND THE GOLDEN SKIN OF HIS BODY TO THE POOR.WE READ THIS STORY FOR GETTING FIVE MARKS IN THE EXTRA READING FOR THE ENGLISH SUBJECT
That was beautiful story and a moralcould be found for..
That was beautiful story and a moralcould
be found for adult as well as childen about unselfishness and giving.
it is really hurtful when someones dies but it really..
it is really hurtful when someones dies
but it really helps u sometimes
Im 19...yet im loving it!! soo awsome!!!
Im 19...yet im loving it!! soo awsome!!!
A great story. I cried even after I finished reading it. I..
A great story. I cried even after I finished reading it. I wanted to translate it into my peoples language. Is it possible?
A great story. I cried even after I finished reading it. I..
A great story. I cried even after I finished reading it. I wanted to translate it into my peoples language. Is it possible?
havent read this story yet. want to know how wonderful it..
havent read this story yet. want to know how wonderful it is. tell you after I have read it :)
its a good story
its a good story
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