The Happy Prince
The Divine Mission
One day, in Heaven, God found two of his servants doing nothing. They seemed unhappy.
— Hey! We're in Heaven here. You can't be unhappy! What is the reason for your unhappiness? — We have nothing to do. We are idle. That is why we are unhappy.
— Alright. Fly to Earth. Find the two best things in a city and bring them to me.
And so, God's servants flew from Heaven to Earth.
The Happy Prince: A Shining Statue
The statue stood in the heart of the city. It was covered in gold. Its eyes were made of blue sapphires. On its waist belt was a precious ruby.
It was an example for everyone on how to be happy. So they called it The Happy Prince.
The Child's Tears
— Oh, my dear! Why are you crying? You must be happy, just like the Happy Prince!
The Swallow's Arrival
Soon, winter came. The sun was setting, and a swallow was looking for shelter for the night. It flew close to the statue and thought:
— I can stay at the statue's feet for one night. I won't be cold here.
So the swallow stayed there, under the statue, between its two feet. Not long after, a drop of water fell on it. The bird looked up at the sky, but the sky was clear.
— Where did this drop of water come from? It's not raining!
And a second drop fell on it. The swallow was puzzled. It decided to find another shelter.
The Statue Cries
So, it flew, looked at the statue, and what did it see? The statue was crying.
— Hey! Why are you crying? You are the Happy Prince! — No, I am not anymore.
— Why? What happened?
The Prince's Story
— When I was alive, I was very happy. I stayed in the palace and never went outside. During the day I played in the garden, and in the evening I danced. I was like any other human being. I also had a heart, just like all of you. I lived my life happily at home without knowing what was happening outside the palace walls. I was very content in my small world, and that is why they called me the Happy Prince.
The World's Sadness Seen from Above
— But now that I am dead and they have placed me here above the city, I can see the ugly side of things. I can see the people and their sufferings. Even though my heart is made of iron now, I can still feel their sadness, and that is why I cry.
The Poor Woman and the Sick Child
— Oh! And why are you crying now? — I see a woman who lives a little further from the city. She is too poor to feed her baby. She is sewing a dress for one of the queen's ladies, for a dance at the palace. Her little boy is crying because he is hungry and sick. But the woman has nothing to give him to eat. She can only offer him water from the river.
— Oh! What a pity!
The First Sacrifice: The Ruby
— Will you take my ruby to the woman? She needs it very much. — But I must go to Egypt! All my friends have migrated there, because it's winter here, and in Egypt it's warm.
— Please, do me this favor. — Ah! Alright! I will stay with you tonight, and tomorrow morning I will go there.
— Thank you, my friend!
The Swallow Helps the Woman
The next morning, the swallow took the prince's ruby and took flight in the direction he had indicated. The bird flew over the city, and then, over the palace.
It saw some girls dancing and a beautiful girl sitting at the window.
— Ah! I wish to receive the dress in a day or two. Why is it taking that woman so long to sew it?
The swallow flew over the city. It crossed the river and arrived in a village, where it saw a woman sleeping in her small house.
The swallow placed the ruby on the table. Then, it flew around the bed, above the little boy. Feeling the current of air above his face, the little boy fell asleep. The swallow returned to the prince.
The Swallow's Return and the Writer
On its way back to the city, it stopped at the river, because it was very thirsty. As the bird drank water from the river, it was noticed by a writer who thought:
The Warmth of the Good Deed
Then the swallow returned to the prince, and the writer returned to his house with a story in mind.
— It's strange! I feel warm, even though it's cold outside! — It is the warmth of the good deed you did today. — Yes, you are right! I will leave for Egypt tomorrow!
The Second Sacrifice: An Eye
— Don't leave, please! I need another favor from you. — No! What is it now?
— Far from the city, I see a writer who is writing a novel. But he cannot finish it because he is starving and doesn't even have a fire lit in his room. He lives in a small room in the attic of a house. — Then what do you want me to do? — One of my eyes and give it to him.
The Swallow Accepts
— Hi! Your eye? I can't do that! — Do it, please! It's a precious stone from India. It will help the writer have a beautiful life. — Alright! I will stay with you tonight and go to the writer tomorrow morning.
The Eye for the Writer
The next morning, the swallow took out one of the prince's eyes and flew towards the writer's house. It easily found the house and entered through a hole in the roof. The writer was sitting at the table, with his head down. The bird left the blue stone on his table and flew on. The writer saw the stone.
The Writer's Joy
The writer was happy to have received the precious blue stone. When the moon rose in the sky, the swallow returned to the prince.
— I have come to say goodbye to you. Tomorrow morning I leave for Egypt.
Another Request
— Will you please stay with me one more night? — Prince, winter will come here, and in Egypt it will be sunny and warm! I must leave there as quickly as possible!
— Please, stay, for the life of a little girl. — The life of a little girl?
The Little Girl with the Broken Eggs
— Yes. There is a little girl in the market. She was selling eggs, but they fell to the ground and broke. Now the little girl can no longer bring any money home. Her father will beat her if she returns home without money. — But how do you want me to help her?
The Last Sacrifice: The Other Eye
— Take out my other eye too and give it to the little girl. Her father will earn good money if he sells it. That way, he won't force the girl to work anymore. Rather, he will send her to school. — No! No! I will stay with you! But I can't take out your other eye! You won't be able to see anymore!
— Please, do it! Please!
The Little Girl Receives the Eye
The swallow felt very sorry to take out the prince's second eye. It took the jewel to the little girl and left it in her hand. The girl was very happy at the sight of the jewel.
— Oh! What a beautiful stone!
And she ran home.
The Swallow Stays
The bird returned to the prince. It felt very sorry for him, because now the prince had no eyes.
— You are a good prince! I'm not going to Egypt anymore!
The Friendship Between the Prince and the Swallow
— No, please, go to Egypt! It will be hard for you to survive here in winter. — No! I won't leave you!
So the bird stayed. It told the prince many stories to cheer him up. The prince enjoyed hearing them.
The Prince's Eye: The Swallow
— Dear friend, please fly over the city and tell me what is happening.
The bird flew over the city to tell the prince everything it had seen. Then it returned to the prince.
The Contrast Between Rich and Poor
— The rich people are happy. They eat and drink in their houses. On the other hand, the poor continue to suffer from hunger and look for shelter. I saw some children freezing in the winter cold. They lived under a bridge. But the guard won't even let them stay there anymore.
The Last Sacrifice: The Gold
— I am covered in real gold. Take it and share it with the poor. They shouldn't suffer.
With regret, the swallow took all the gold that covered the prince's body and gave it to those in need.
The Joy of the Poor
They were happy to receive it.
— I can buy bread now! — I can buy bread now! — I can buy bread now! — I can buy bread now!
The Swallow's Death and the Broken Heart
And then it started to snow. The entire city was covered in snow. The swallow could not survive in that frost. It died one night. When the prince realized the next morning, something broke inside him. It was his iron heart that had broken.
People Judge the Prince
When the people saw the dead bird at the prince's feet, they complained to the authorities. Some officials came to see him.
— Doesn't the prince look ugly? — Yes, he looks more like a beggar than a prince! — And the dead bird at his feet, ugh! Who is going to clean up this mess?
— I think we should take the statue down from its place and replace it with another one.
The Destruction of the Statue
They took the statue down and set it on fire. But the statue's broken heart did not burn. So, they threw it away.
Return to Heaven
After a few days, the Lord's servants returned to Heaven with two things and offered them to God.
— What have you brought me?
It was a swallow and a broken iron heart. God asked them why those were the best things in the entire city. The servants replied that the heart belonged to the statue of the Happy Prince.
The Divine Judgment and the Moral
— You have done a good job. Indeed, these are the best things. I will keep them in my garden. The swallow will sing beautiful songs, and the Happy Prince will stand in my golden city.
The moral of the story is that true happiness and beauty do not lie in material wealth, but in kindness, sacrifice, and compassion towards others.
