This is a story about the statue of a Happy Prince and a little Swallow. The Happy Prince was a beautiful statue stood on a tall column high above the city.
The statue was covered with thin leaves of gold. He had sapphires for his eyes and a ruby in his sword.
One night a little swallow flew over the city. He was tired and want to spent the night between the feet of the Happy Prince. As he was ready to sleep just then a large drop of water fell on him. It was curious as there
were no clouds in the sky. Then another drop of water fell on him. The swallow decided to look for another place just then third drop fell on him, he looked up and saw that these were the tears from the eyes of the Happy Prince and the swallow filled with pity.
The swallow asked " who are you" and why are you crying? The Happy Prince told the swallow that he lived in a palace while he was alive and had a kind human heart. There was no sorrow at all and his and his courtiers called him the happy prince. After his
death he had been set up on a high pillar, his heart is made up of Lead yet and it always weeps when he see the ugliness and misery of his city.
He told the swallow that far away in a little street a little boy of a seamstress is sick. He is crying and his mother could not give him oranges to eat. He
asked the swallow to give his ruby to the poor women when he was going to Egypt. But he obeyed the Happy Prince and then he flew and laid the ruby on the table of the poor women.
Then the Happy Prince saw a writer. He was suffering from cold and was hungry. Happy Prince asked the swallow to give one of the sapphire to the writer.
The swallow did not want to pluck out the sapphire
from his eyes, but he obeyed him unwillingly. After that the Happy Prince saw a match girl and her matches fall into the gutter. At his command the
swallow very unwillingly plucked out the sapphire from the other eye of the Happy Prince and now the Prince was totally blind. the swallow slipped the
sapphire into the palm of the match girl. Then the Happy Prince allowed the swallow to fly away to Egypt, but the swallow decided to stay with the blind
Prince forever.
The swallow reported about the sufferings of the starving people. At the command of the Happy Prince the swallow took of the golden leaves from the statue and distributed them among the poor people.
Now the statue was dull and grey. The frost made the swallow colder and colder and he was about to die. He flew to the Happy Prince who bade him kiss him on the lips. The swallow fell down die at the feet of the statue.
The lead heart of the Prince broke into two.
The Mayor ordered that the statue should be pulled down because it was neither beautiful now useful. The broken heart did not melt in the furnace. It was thrown away on a dust heap where the dead swallow
was also lying.
God asked the angels to bring the two most precious things in the city. God praised the angel's choice in bringing him the leaden heart of the Happy Prince and the dead swallow.
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