The Happy Prince Oscar Wilde

The Happy Prince Oscar Wilde Adapted by Marek Vít

High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was covered with gold and his eyes were made of precious jewels.

Everybody admired him "He is very beautiful," one important person said. "But not very useful," he added, because he did not want people to think that he was not practical.

"Why can't you be like the Happy Prince?" a mother asked her crying son. "The Happy Prince never cries!"

"I am glad there is somebody in this world who is quite happy," said a disappointed man as he looked at the wonderful statue.

"He looks just like an angel," said the children as they came out of the cathedral.

"How do you know?" said a Master of Mathematics. "You have never seen an angel."

"We have, in our dreams," answered the children. The man frowned, because he did not like when children were dreaming.

One night a little Swallow flew over the city. His friends had flown away to Egypt six weeks before. He had stayed behind because he was in love with the beautiful Reed. He had met her early in the spring as he was flying down the river, and she was so attractive that he stopped to talk to her.

"Shall I love you?" said the Swallow. The Reed bowed. So he flew round and round her, touching the water with his wings, to show her his love. This lasted all through the summer.

"It is very silly," said the other Swallows. "She has no money and there are so many reeds in the river." Then, when the autumn came they all flew away.

The Swallow felt lonely. He was already tired of his love. "She doesn't talk to me," he said, "and she is always flirting with the wind." It was true, because the Reed always bowed gracefully when the wind blew. "She stays home all the time," he continued, "but I love travelling, and my wife should love travelling, too."

"Will you come away with me?" he finally said to her. But the Reed shook her head because she liked her home very much.

"But I am going away," he said and flew away.

All day long he flew, and at night he arrived at the city. "Where shall I sleep?" he said.

Then he saw the statue on the tall column.

"I will sleep there," he cried. "It is a nice place, with plenty of fresh air." So he sat down just between the feet of the Happy Prince.

"I have a golden bedroom," he said softly to himself as he looked round. But just as he was preparing to go to sleep, a large drop of water fell on him. "How is it possible?" he cried. "There are no clouds in the sky. How can there be rain? The Reed always liked the rain, but that was because she only cared about herself."

Then another drop fell.

"What good is a statue that cannot protect me from rain? I must look for a better place," he said and wanted to fly away.

But before he had opened his wings, a third drop fell, and he looked up. What did he see?

The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears, and tears were running down his golden face. He was so beautiful in the moonlight that the little Swallow felt sorry for him.