Once upon a time,
there was a handsome statue of ""the Happy Prince"" in a town.
The Happy Prince was completely covered in gold leaf.
His eyes were two bright sapphires, and there was a large ruby on the hilt of his sword.
All the people in town wished to be happy like the prince.
Winter came closer, and on one cold evening, a swallow came flying into this town.
"I'm so late.
I wonder if other swallows have already made it to Egypt....
I might as well stay overnight in this town and leave tomorrow."
The Swallow sat by the foot of the prince and was about to sleep.
Then, drops of water fell on him.
"Oh, my!. Has it begun to rain?
Wait, it's strange... there is not a single cloud in the sky."
The Swallow looked up and said, "The prince is shedding tears!"
”Hello. Excuse me. Why are you weeping?" asked the Swallow.
"Ever since I have been placed here so high, I can see all the sad things that happen in this town,
but I can’t do anything to help them. That is why I am weeping." replied the Prince.
"Sad things?" asked the Swallow.
"Look. Can you see the small house over there? The little boy is lying ill and crying for oranges.
His mother is working very hard, but still she is too poor to buy them." replied the Prince.
"That is heartbreaking." said the Swallow.
"Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow, will you take the ruby from the hilt of my sword,
and give it to her?" asked the Prince.
"OK. Let me do that." replied the Swallow.
So the Swallow removed the beautiful ruby from the hilt of the sword,
and flew away with it in his beak toward the poor boy's house.
The Swallow laid the beautiful ruby by the boy's pillow.
"It's a rough time now for you...Hang in there."
The Swallow fanned the boy gently with his wings and then left.
When the Swallow flew back to the Prince, he noticed one thing.
"That’s odd. It’s so cold out here, yet I feel so warm now " said the Swallow.
"That is because you have done a good thing, Swallow." replied the Prince.
The next day, the Prince asked the Swallow another favor.
""Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow.
Will you take one of my sapphire eyes to a poor but talented young man?""
""But..it is time. I must be on my way again."" hesitated the Swallow.
""Please, little Swallow. Please stay one more night..."" pleaded the Prince.
""....OK."" replied the Swallow.
When the Swallow delivered one of the Prince's sapphire eyes
to the talented young man,
he was thrilled and cried with his eyes shining.
"Now I can buy bread! I can finish writing my work!"
The next day, the Swallow was determined to set off on his journey this time.
The Swallow said goodbye to the Prince.
""Dear Prince,
I am leaving for Egypt where my fellow swallows have gone.
In Egypt, the sun is always shining and is very warm.""
The Prince, however, asked the Swallow a favor again.
""Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow. Will you stay one more night?
There is a little match-girl sobbing. Her father will beat her unless she makes money.
And..oh, she has dropped and dampened her all matches.
I have one more sapphire eye. Will you deliver it to her?""
""But you will become blind then!"" said the Swallow.
""I do not mind becoming blind as long as the girl will be happy."" smiled the Prince.
""Oh, my dear Prince..."""
After seeing the Prince lose both his eyes for the happiness of others, the Swallow decided!
The Swallow delivered the sapphire to the girl as the Prince requested.
The Swallow said,
""Now dear Prince,
you are blind and cannot see anything.
I will always be by your side and help you. I will be your eyes.""
""Oh, Swallow, thank you."" said the Prince."
From then on, the Swallow flew all over town and told the Prince what he had seen.
""Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow, will you take all the gold off my body leaf by leaf,
and deliver it to all the poor people?"" asked the Prince.
""Leave it to me"" replied the Swallow.
As the Prince asked the Swallow, he picked the gold off the Prince leaf by leaf,
and brought it to the poor.
In time, snow fell from the sky.
Finally, winter came.
The Swallow, being very sensitive to the cold, was almost frozen and could not move anymore.
"I'm going to die, dear Prince. I am very happy to have done a lot of good things.
Good bye." said the Swallow.
The Swallow made a last effort and kissed the Prince, and he fell down dead at his feet.
Then, crack!
From deep sorrow, the heart of the Prince cracked.
The next morning,
the people in the town noticed that the Happy Prince had become very dirty and shabby.
" We should pull down the statue of the Happy Prince and melt it,
as he is no longer handsome." said the people.
To their great surprise, the lead heart of the Prince would not melt.
So they threw it away with the dead Swallow.
Then, God and an Angel came to this town.
"Bring me the most beautiful thing in this town." said God to the Angel.
The Angel brought Him the lead heart of the Prince and the dead swallow.
The God nodded in content.
""You have rightly chosen.
This is exactly the most beautiful thing in this town.
The Prince and the Swallow have done very good things.
We should take them back in Heaven"" God said.
The Happy Prince and the Swallow lived happily ever after in Heaven.