Tuesday, February 10, 2009

THE HAPPY PRINCE.


THE HAPPY PRINCE.

The statue of the Happy Prince stands on a high pillar. It has leaves of gold on it. The eyes have blue jewels and on top of the sword, there is a large red jewel.
One day a little swallow flies here to have a rest. As the swallow is falling asleep, a drop of water falls on his head. He looks up and finds that tears are falling from the statue’s eyes!

“Why are you crying?” he asks statue.

“I used to be a happy prince,” says the statue, “but now I see many sad things from up here.”

“What do you see?” asks the swallow.

“I see a poor woman with a very sick child. Please take the red jewel from my sword and give it to her.”

The swallow says, “I should be resting now and flying off tomorrow. But I will
help you tonight.”

The swallow pecks out the red jewel and flies off with it. He leaves the red jewel on the poor woman’s table and flies back to the Prince. The next day, the Prince says,

“Please stay another night with me. Take a jewel from one of my eyes for the
poor young writer who is too cold and hungry to write.”

The swallow does what the Prince wishes. Again the next day, the Prince says,

“That little match-girl down there has dropped her matches into a drain. Give her
my other eye so that her father will not beat her.”

The swallow cries as he says, “You will be blind then!”

The swallow sadly does what the Prince wishes. When he returns, he says, “I will stay here with you. I can use my eyes and tell you what is happening around you.”
Soon every leaf of gold is used up to help the poor. The weather is getting colder but the swallow does not leave for a warmer place. The swallow is dying in the cold.
One day he say goodbye to the Prince and drops dead at the Prince’s feet. The Prince feels his heart breaking.
The Mayor wants the dull looking statue to be melted down. The broken heart inside does not melt. It is thrown at the same place as the dead swallow.
God asks for the two most precious things in the town. The angles bring him the broken heart and the dead swallow. God says,

“The Prince and the swallow will forever live in My Garden of Paradise.”

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