The Happy Prince

High above the city stood the statue of the Happy Prince, covered from head to foot with fine gold, with two bright sapphires for eyes and a red ruby on his sword.One night a little swallow, flying late to the warm south, stopped to rest between the statue's feet.As he put his head under his wing, a drop of water fell on him, and then another — the Happy Prince was crying.

"When I was alive, I did not know what tears were," said the Prince. "But now I see all the sadness of the city below me, and I cannot stop crying.""In a poor room far off, a tired woman is sewing, and her little boy is sick and asking for oranges," he said. "Swallow, take the ruby from my sword and carry it to her."So the swallow carried the great ruby to the poor house, and he fanned the sick boy's face with his wings until the child fell into a cool sleep.

The next night the Prince asked the swallow to fly to a young writer who was cold and hungry and could not finish his play."I have no more rubies," said the Prince, "so take out one of my sapphire eyes and give it to him."The swallow cried and did not want to, but he obeyed, and the writer found the jewel and knew that someone cared for him.

On the third night the swallow gave the Prince's other eye to a little girl who had dropped her matches and was afraid to go home.Now the Prince was blind, and the swallow decided to stay beside him and never fly to Egypt at all.Day by day the swallow told the blind Prince what he saw: rich people laughing in fine houses, and hungry children sitting in the dark streets.

"Take the gold off my body, piece by piece, and give it to the poor," said the Prince, and the swallow did this until the statue looked grey and dull.Then the snow came, and the frost, and the little swallow grew colder and colder and knew that he would die.The swallow kissed the Happy Prince on the lips and fell down dead at his feet, and at that moment the Prince's heart, which was made of lead, broke in two.

The next day the mayor took down the shabby statue and had it melted, but the broken heart would not melt, so it was thrown away beside the dead bird.Then God asked an angel to bring him the two most precious things in the city. The angel chose the leaden heart and the dead swallow, and there in God's garden they lived for ever.