The Happy Prince.

 [Picture: Woman opening window and seeing bird]rnrnHIGH above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the HappyrnPrince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyesrnhe had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on hisrnsword-hilt.rnrnHe was very much admired indeed. “He is as beautiful as a weathercock,”rnremarked one of the Town Councillors who wished to gain a reputation forrnhaving artistic tastes; “only not quite so useful,” he added, fearingrnlest people should think him unpractical, which he really was not.rnrn“Why can’t you be like the Happy Prince?” asked a sensible mother of herrnlittle boy who was crying for the moon. “The Happy Prince never dreamsrnof crying for anything.”rnrn“I am glad there is some one in the world who is quite happy,” muttered arndisappointed man as he gazed at the wonderful statue.rnrn“He looks just like an angel,” said the Charity Children as they came outrnof the cathedral in their bright scarlet cloaks and their clean whiternpinafores.rnrn“How do you know?” said the Mathematical Master, “you have never seenrnone.”rnrn“Ah! but we have, in our dreams,” answered the children; and thernMathematical Master frowned and looked very severe, for he did notrnapprove of children dreaming.rnrnOne night there flew over the city a little Swallow. His friends hadrngone away to Egypt six weeks before, but he had stayed behind, for he wasrnin love with the most beautiful Reed. He had met her early in the springrnas he was flying down the river after a big yellow moth, and had been sornattracted by her slender waist that he had stopped to talk to her.rnrn“Shall I love you?” said the Swallow, who liked to come to the point atrnonce, and the Reed made him a low bow. So he flew round and round her,rntouching the water with his wings, and making silver ripples. This wasrnhis courtship, and it lasted all through the summer.rnrn“It is a ridiculous attachment,” twittered the other Swallows; “she hasrnno money, and far too many relations”; and indeed the river was quiternfull of Reeds. Then, when the autumn came they all flew away.rnrnAfter 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 arncoquette, for she is always flirting with the wind.” And certainly,rnwhenever the wind blew, the Reed made the most graceful curtseys. “Irnadmit that she is domestic,” he continued, “but I love travelling, and myrnwife, consequently, should love travelling also.”rnrn“Will you come away with me?” he said finally to her; but the Reed shookrnher head, she was so attached to her home.rnrn“You have been trifling with me,” he cried. “I am off to the Pyramids.rnGood-bye!” and he flew away.rnrnAll day long he flew, and at night-time he arrived at the city. “Wherernshall I put up?” he said; “I hope the town has made preparations.”rnrnThen he saw the statue on the tall column.rnrn“I will put up there,” he cried; “it is a fine position, with plenty ofrnfresh air.” So he alighted just between the feet of the Happy Prince.rnrn“I have a golden bedroom,” he said softly to himself as he looked round,rnand he prepared to go to sleep; but just as he was putting his head underrnhis wing a large drop of water fell on him. “What a curious thing!” herncried; “there is not a single cloud in the sky, the stars are quite clearrnand bright, and yet it is raining. The climate in the north of Europe isrnreally dreadful. The Reed used to like the rain, but that was merely herrnselfishness.”rnrnThen another drop fell.rnrn“What is the use of a statue if it cannot keep the rain off?” he said; “Irnmust look for a good chimney-pot,” and he determined to fly away.rnrnBut before he had opened his wings, a third drop fell, and he looked up,rnand saw—Ah! what did he see?rnrnThe eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears, and tears werernrunning down his golden cheeks. His face was so beautiful in thernmoonlight that the little Swallow was filled with pity.rnrn“Who are you?” he said.rnrn“I am the Happy Prince.”rnrn“Why are you weeping then?” asked the Swallow; “you have quite drenchedrnme.”rnrn“When I was alive and had a human heart,” answered the statue, “I did notrnknow what tears were, for I lived in the Palace of Sans-Souci, wherernsorrow is not allowed to enter. In the daytime I played with myrncompanions in the garden, and in the evening I led the dance in the GreatrnHall. Round the garden ran a very lofty wall, but I never cared to askrnwhat lay beyond it, everything about me was so beautiful. My courtiersrncalled me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure bernhappiness. So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead they havernset me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the miseryrnof my city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot chose butrnweep.”rnrn“What! is he not solid gold?” said the Swallow to himself. He was toornpolite to make any personal remarks out loud.rnrn“Far away,” continued the statue in a low musical voice, “far away in arnlittle street there is a poor house. One of the windows is open, andrnthrough it I can see a woman seated at a table. Her face is thin andrnworn, and she has coarse, red hands, all pricked by the needle, for shernis a seamstress. She is embroidering passion-flowers on a satin gown forrnthe loveliest of the Queen’s maids-of-honour to wear at the nextrnCourt-ball. In a bed in the corner of the room her little boy is lyingrnill. He has a fever, and is asking for oranges. His mother has nothingrnto give him but river water, so he is crying. Swallow, Swallow, littlernSwallow, will you not bring her the ruby out of my sword-hilt? My feetrnare fastened to this pedestal and I cannot move.”rnrn“I am waited for in Egypt,” said the Swallow. “My friends are flying uprnand down the Nile, and talking to the large lotus-flowers. Soon theyrnwill go to sleep in the tomb of the great King. The King is therernhimself in his painted coffin. He is wrapped in yellow linen, andrnembalmed with spices. Round his neck is a chain of pale green jade, andrnhis hands are like withered leaves.”rnrn“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “will you not stayrnwith me for one night, and be my messenger? The boy is so thirsty, andrnthe mother so sad.”rnrn“I don’t think I like boys,” answered the Swallow. “Last summer, when Irnwas staying on the river, there were two rude boys, the miller’s sons,rnwho were always throwing stones at me. They never hit me, of course; wernswallows fly far too well for that, and besides, I come of a familyrnfamous for its agility; but still, it was a mark of disrespect.”rnrnBut 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,rnand be your messenger.”rnrn“Thank you, little Swallow,” said the Prince.rnrnSo the Swallow picked out the great ruby from the Prince’s sword, andrnflew away with it in his beak over the roofs of the town.rnrnHe passed by the cathedral tower, where the white marble angels werernsculptured. He passed by the palace and heard the sound of dancing. Arnbeautiful girl came out on the balcony with her lover. “How wonderfulrnthe stars are,” he said to her, “and how wonderful is the power of love!”rnrn“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 thernseamstresses are so lazy.”rnrnHe passed over the river, and saw the lanterns hanging to the masts ofrnthe ships. He passed over the Ghetto, and saw the old Jews bargainingrnwith each other, and weighing out money in copper scales. At last herncame to the poor house and looked in. The boy was tossing feverishly onrnhis bed, and the mother had fallen asleep, she was so tired. In hernhopped, and laid the great ruby on the table beside the woman’s thimble.rnThen he flew gently round the bed, fanning the boy’s forehead with hisrnwings. “How cool I feel,” said the boy, “I must be getting better”; andrnhe sank into a delicious slumber.rnrnThen the Swallow flew back to the Happy Prince, and told him what he hadrndone. “It is curious,” he remarked, “but I feel quite warm now, althoughrnit is so cold.”rnrn“That is because you have done a good action,” said the Prince. And thernlittle Swallow began to think, and then he fell asleep. Thinking alwaysrnmade him sleepy.rnrnWhen day broke he flew down to the river and had a bath. “What arnremarkable phenomenon,” said the Professor of Ornithology as he wasrnpassing over the bridge. “A swallow in winter!” And he wrote a longrnletter about it to the local newspaper. Every one quoted it, it was fullrnof so many words that they could not understand.rnrn“To-night I go to Egypt,” said the Swallow, and he was in high spirits atrnthe prospect. He visited all the public monuments, and sat a long timernon top of the church steeple. Wherever he went the Sparrows chirruped,rnand said to each other, “What a distinguished stranger!” so he enjoyedrnhimself very much.rnrnWhen the moon rose he flew back to the Happy Prince. “Have you anyrncommissions for Egypt?” he cried; “I am just starting.”rnrn“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “will you not stayrnwith me one night longer?”rnrn“I am waited for in Egypt,” answered the Swallow. “To-morrow my friendsrnwill fly up to the Second Cataract. The river-horse couches there amongrnthe bulrushes, and on a great granite throne sits the God Memnon. Allrnnight long he watches the stars, and when the morning star shines hernutters one cry of joy, and then he is silent. At noon the yellow lionsrncome down to the water’s edge to drink. They have eyes like greenrnberyls, and their roar is louder than the roar of the cataract.”rnrn“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “far away across therncity I see a young man in a garret. He is leaning over a desk coveredrnwith papers, and in a tumbler by his side there is a bunch of witheredrnviolets. His hair is brown and crisp, and his lips are red as arnpomegranate, and he has large and dreamy eyes. He is trying to finish arnplay for the Director of the Theatre, but he is too cold to write anyrnmore. There is no fire in the grate, and hunger has made him faint.”rnrn“I will wait with you one night longer,” said the Swallow, who really hadrna good heart. “Shall I take him another ruby?”rnrn“Alas! I have no ruby now,” said the Prince; “my eyes are all that Irnhave left. They are made of rare sapphires, which were brought out ofrnIndia a thousand years ago. Pluck out one of them and take it to him.rnHe will sell it to the jeweller, and buy food and firewood, and finishrnhis play.”rnrn“Dear Prince,” said the Swallow, “I cannot do that”; and he began tornweep.rnrn“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “do as I commandrnyou.”rnrnSo the Swallow plucked out the Prince’s eye, and flew away to thernstudent’s garret. It was easy enough to get in, as there was a hole inrnthe roof. Through this he darted, and came into the room. The young manrnhad his head buried in his hands, so he did not hear the flutter of thernbird’s wings, and when he looked up he found the beautiful sapphire lyingrnon the withered violets.rnrn“I am beginning to be appreciated,” he cried; “this is from some greatrnadmirer. Now I can finish my play,” and he looked quite happy.rnrnThe next day the Swallow flew down to the harbour. He sat on the mast ofrna large vessel and watched the sailors hauling big chests out of the holdrnwith ropes. “Heave a-hoy!” they shouted as each chest came up. “I amrngoing to Egypt”! cried the Swallow, but nobody minded, and when the moonrnrose he flew back to the Happy Prince.rnrn“I am come to bid you good-bye,” he cried.rnrn“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “will you not stayrnwith me one night longer?”rnrn“It is winter,” answered the Swallow, “and the chill snow will soon bernhere. In Egypt the sun is warm on the green palm-trees, and therncrocodiles lie in the mud and look lazily about them. My companions arernbuilding a nest in the Temple of Baalbec, and the pink and white dovesrnare watching them, and cooing to each other. Dear Prince, I must leavernyou, but I will never forget you, and next spring I will bring you backrntwo beautiful jewels in place of those you have given away. The rubyrnshall be redder than a red rose, and the sapphire shall be as blue as therngreat sea.”rnrn“In the square below,” said the Happy Prince, “there stands a littlernmatch-girl. She has let her matches fall in the gutter, and they are allrnspoiled. Her father will beat her if she does not bring home some money,rnand she is crying. She has no shoes or stockings, and her little head isrnbare. Pluck out my other eye, and give it to her, and her father willrnnot beat her.”rnrn“I will stay with you one night longer,” said the Swallow, “but I cannotrnpluck out your eye. You would be quite blind then.”rnrn“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “do as I commandrnyou.”rnrnSo he plucked out the Prince’s other eye, and darted down with it. Hernswooped past the match-girl, and slipped the jewel into the palm of herrnhand. “What a lovely bit of glass,” cried the little girl; and she ranrnhome, laughing.rnrnThen the Swallow came back to the Prince. “You are blind now,” he said,“so I will stay with you always.”rnrn“No, little Swallow,” said the poor Prince, “you must go away to Egypt.”rnrn“I will stay with you always,” said the Swallow, and he slept at thernPrince’s feet.rnrnAll the next day he sat on the Prince’s shoulder, and told him stories ofrnwhat he had seen in strange lands. He told him of the red ibises, whornstand in long rows on the banks of the Nile, and catch gold-fish in theirrnbeaks; of the Sphinx, who is as old as the world itself, and lives in therndesert, and knows everything; of the merchants, who walk slowly by thernside of their camels, and carry amber beads in their hands; of the Kingrnof the Mountains of the Moon, who is as black as ebony, and worships arnlarge crystal; of the great green snake that sleeps in a palm-tree, andrnhas twenty priests to feed it with honey-cakes; and of the pygmies whornsail over a big lake on large flat leaves, and are always at war with thernbutterflies.rnrn“Dear little Swallow,” said the Prince, “you tell me of marvellousrnthings, but more marvellous than anything is the suffering of men and ofrnwomen. There is no Mystery so great as Misery. Fly over my city, littlernSwallow, and tell me what you see there.”rnrnSo the Swallow flew over the great city, and saw the rich making merry inrntheir beautiful houses, while the beggars were sitting at the gates. Hernflew into dark lanes, and saw the white faces of starving childrenrnlooking out listlessly at the black streets. Under the archway of arnbridge two little boys were lying in one another’s arms to try and keeprnthemselves warm. “How hungry we are!” they said. “You must not liernhere,” shouted the Watchman, and they wandered out into the rain.rnrnThen he flew back and told the Prince what he had seen.rnrn“I am covered with fine gold,” said the Prince, “you must take it off,rnleaf by leaf, and give it to my poor; the living always think that goldrncan make them happy.”rnrnLeaf after leaf of the fine gold the Swallow picked off, till the HappyrnPrince looked quite dull and grey. Leaf after leaf of the fine gold hernbrought to the poor, and the children’s faces grew rosier, and theyrnlaughed and played games in the street. “We have bread now!” they cried.rnrnThen the snow came, and after the snow came the frost. The streetsrnlooked as if they were made of silver, they were so bright andrnglistening; long icicles like crystal daggers hung down from the eaves ofrnthe houses, everybody went about in furs, and the little boys worernscarlet caps and skated on the ice.rnrnThe poor little Swallow grew colder and colder, but he would not leavernthe Prince, he loved him too well. He picked up crumbs outside thernbaker’s door when the baker was not looking and tried to keep himselfrnwarm by flapping his wings.rnrnBut at last he knew that he was going to die. He had just strength tornfly up to the Prince’s shoulder once more. “Good-bye, dear Prince!” hernmurmured, “will you let me kiss your hand?”rnrn“I am glad that you are going to Egypt at last, little Swallow,” said thernPrince, “you have stayed too long here; but you must kiss me on the lips,rnfor I love you.”rnrn“It is not to Egypt that I am going,” said the Swallow. “I am going tornthe House of Death. Death is the brother of Sleep, is he not?”rnrnAnd he kissed the Happy Prince on the lips, and fell down dead at hisrnfeet.rnrnAt that moment a curious crack sounded inside the statue, as if somethingrnhad broken. The fact is that the leaden heart had snapped right in two.rnIt certainly was a dreadfully hard frost.rnrnEarly the next morning the Mayor was walking in the square below inrncompany with the Town Councillors. As they passed the column he lookedrnup at the statue: “Dear me! how shabby the Happy Prince looks!” he said.rnrn“How shabby indeed!” cried the Town Councillors, who always agreed withrnthe Mayor; and they went up to look at it.rnrn“The ruby has fallen out of his sword, his eyes are gone, and he isrngolden no longer,” said the Mayor in fact, “he is little better than arnbeggar!”rnrn“Little better than a beggar,” said the Town Councillors.rnrn“And here is actually a dead bird at his feet!” continued the Mayor. “Wernmust really issue a proclamation that birds are not to be allowed to diernhere.” And the Town Clerk made a note of the suggestion.rnrnSo they pulled down the statue of the Happy Prince. “As he is no longerrnbeautiful he is no longer useful,” said the Art Professor at thernUniversity.rnrnThen they melted the statue in a furnace, and the Mayor held a meeting ofrnthe Corporation to decide what was to be done with the metal. “We mustrnhave another statue, of course,” he said, “and it shall be a statue ofrnmyself.”rnrn“Of myself,” said each of the Town Councillors, and they quarrelled.rnWhen I last heard of them they were quarrelling still.rnrn“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 itrnaway.” So they threw it on a dust-heap where the dead Swallow was alsornlying.rnrn“Bring me the two most precious things in the city,” said God to one ofrnHis Angels; and the Angel brought Him the leaden heart and the dead bird.rnrn“You have rightly chosen,” said God, “for in my garden of Paradise thisrnlittle bird shall sing for evermore, and in my city of gold the HappyrnPrince shall praise me.”rnrn [Picture: Decorative graphic of two birds]