By Oscar Wilde
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 & 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 tastes; “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 & 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 & the Mathematical Master frowned & 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 & 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 & the Reed made him a low bow. So he flew round & round her, touching the water with his wings & making silver ripples. This was his courtship & it lasted all through the summer.
“It is a ridiculous attachment,” twittered the other Swallows; “she has no money & far too many relations” & indeed the river was quite full of Reeds. Then, when the autumn came they all flew away.
After they had gone he felt lonely & 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.” & certainly, whenever the wind blew, the Reed made the most graceful curtseys. “I admit that she is domestic,” he continued, “but I love travelling & 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!” & he flew away.
All day long he flew & 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 & 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 & bright & 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,” & he determined to fly away.
But before he had opened his wings, a third drop fell & he looked up & saw – Ah! what did he see?
The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears & 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 & 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 & 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 & happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived & so I died. & now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness & all the misery of my city & though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot chose 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 & through it I can see a woman seated at a table. Her face is thin & worn & she has coarse, red hands, all pricked by the needle, for she is a seamstress. She is embroidering passion-flowers 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 & 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 & I cannot move.”
“I am waited for in Egypt,” said the Swallow. “My friends are flying up & down the Nile & 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 & embalmed with spices. Round his neck is a chain of pale green jade & his hands are like withered leaves.”
“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “will you not stay with me for one night & be my messenger? The boy is so thirsty & 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 & 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 & be your messenger.”
“Thank you, little Swallow,” said the Prince.
So the Swallow picked out the great ruby from the Prince’s sword & 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 & 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 & saw the lanterns hanging to the masts of the ships. He passed over the Ghetto & saw the old Jews bargaining with each other & weighing out money in copper scales. At last he came to the poor house & looked in. The boy was tossing feverishly on his bed & the mother had fallen asleep, she was so tired. In he hopped & 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” & he sank into a delicious slumber.
Then the Swallow flew back to the Happy Prince & 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. & the little Swallow began to think & then he fell asleep. Thinking always made him sleepy.
When day broke he flew down to the river & had a bath. “What a remarkable phenomenon,” said the Professor of Ornithology as he was passing over the bridge. “A swallow in winter!” & 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 & he was in high spirits at the prospect. He visited all the public monuments & sat a long time on top of the church steeple.
Wherever he went the Sparrows chirruped & 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 & on a great granite throne sits the God Memnon. All night long he watches the stars & when the morning star shines he utters one cry of joy & then he is silent. At noon the yellow lions come down to the water’s edge to drink. They have eyes like green beryls & 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 & in a tumbler by his side there is a bunch of withered violets. His hair is brown & crisp & his lips are red as a pomegranate & he has large & 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 & 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 & take it to him. He will sell it to the jeweller & buy food & firewood & finish his play.”
“Dear Prince,” said the Swallow, “I cannot do that” & 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 & 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 & 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 & 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,” & he looked quite happy.
The next day the Swallow flew down to the harbour. He sat on the mast of a large vessel & 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 & 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 & the crocodiles lie in the mud & look lazily about them. My companions are building a nest in the Temple of Baalbec & the pink & white doves are watching them & cooing to each other. Dear Prince, I must leave you, but I will never forget you & 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 & 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 & they are all spoiled. Her father will beat her if she does not bring home some money & she is crying. She has no shoes or stockings & her little head is bare. Pluck out my other eye & give it to her & 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 & darted down with it. He swooped past the match-girl & slipped the jewel into the palm of her hand. “What a lovely bit of glass,” cried the little girl & 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 & he slept at the Prince’s feet.
All the next day he sat on the Prince’s shoulder & 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 & catch gold-fish in their beaks; of the Sphinx, who is as old as the world itself & lives in the desert & knows everything; of the merchants, who walk slowly by the side of their camels & carry amber beads in their hands; of the King of the Mountains of the Moon, who is as black as ebony & worships a large crystal; of the great green snake that sleeps in a palm-tree & has twenty priests to feed it with honey- cakes & of the pygmies who sail over a big lake on large flat leaves & 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 & of women. There is no Mystery so great as Misery. Fly over my city, little Swallow & tell me what you see there.”
So the Swallow flew over the great city & saw the rich making merry in their beautiful houses, while the beggars were sitting at the gates. He flew into dark lanes & 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 & keep themselves warm. “How hungry we are!” they said. “You must not lie here,” shouted the Watchman & they wandered out into the rain.
Then he flew back & told the Prince what he had seen.
“I am covered with fine gold,” said the Prince, “you must take it off, leaf by leaf & 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 & grey. Leaf after leaf of the fine gold he brought to the poor & the children’s faces grew rosier & they laughed & played games in the street. “We have bread now!” they cried.
Then the snow came & after the snow came the frost. The streets looked as if they were made of silver, they were so bright & glistening; long icicles like crystal daggers hung down from the eaves of the houses, everybody went about in furs & the little boys wore scarlet caps & skated on the ice.
The poor little Swallow grew colder & 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 & 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 & 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 & they went up to look at it.
“The ruby has fallen out of his sword, his eyes are gone & 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 here 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.” & 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 & 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 & 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 & the Angel brought him the leaden heart & the dead bird.
“You have rightly chosen,” said God, “for in my garden of Paradise this little bird shall sing for evermore & in my city of gold the Happy Prince shall praise me.”
– THE END –