cultural怎么读-敞怎么读
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The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
1 THE
HAPPY PRINCE
High above the city, on a
tall column, stood the statue of the Happy
Prince. He was gilded all over with thin
leaves of fine gold, for eyes he
had two
bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on
his sword-hilt.
He was very much admired
indeed.
weathercock,
a reputation for
having artistic tastes;
fearing lest people
should think him unpractical, which he really was
not.
her little boy who was crying
for the moon.
dreams of crying for
anything.
muttered a disappointed man
as he gazed at the wonderful statue.
out of the cathedral in their bright scarlet
cloaks and their clean white
pinafores.
seen one.
Mathematical Master
frowned and looked very severe, for he did not
approve of children dreaming.
One
night there flew over the city a little Swallow.
His friends had
gone away to Egypt six weeks
before, but he had stayed behind, for he
was
in love with the most beautiful Reed. He had met
her early in the
spring as he was flying down
the river after a big yellow moth, and had
been so attracted by her slender waist that he
had stopped to talk to her.
once, and
the Reed made him a low bow. So he flew round and
round
her, touching the water with his wings,
and making silver ripples. This
2 The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
was his courtship, and
it lasted all through the summer.
no
money, and far too many relations
of Reeds.
Then, when the autumn came they all flew away.
After they had gone he felt lonely, and
began to tire of his lady- love.
for she
is always flirting with the wind.
wind blew,
the Reed made the most graceful curtseys.
is
domestic,
consequently, should love travelling
also.
shook her head, she was so
attached to her home.
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Good-bye!
All day long he flew, and at
night-time he arrived at the city.
shall I put
up?
Then he saw the statue on the tall
column.
air.
round, and he
prepared to go to sleep; but just as he was
putting his head
under his wing a large drop
of water fell on him.
he cried;
bright,
and yet it is raining. The climate in the north of
Europe is really
dreadful. The Reed used to
like the rain, but that was merely her
selfishness.
Then another drop fell.
must look for a good chimney-pot,
But before he had opened his wings, a third drop
fell, and he looked up,
and saw - Ah! what
did he see?
The eyes of the Happy Prince
were filled with tears, and tears were
3 The
Happy Prince and Other Tales
running down his
golden cheeks. His face was so beautiful
in the
moonlight that the little Swallow was
filled with pity.
drenched me.
not know what tears
were, for I lived in the Palace of Sans- Souci,
where
sorrow is not allowed to enter. In the
daytime I played with my
companions in the
garden, and in the evening I led the dance in the
Great
Hall. Round the garden ran a very lofty
wall, but I never cared to ask
what lay
beyond it, everything about me was so beautiful.
My courtiers
called me the Happy Prince, and
happy indeed I was, if pleasure be
happiness.
So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead
they have
set me up here so high that I can
see all the ugliness and all the misery of
my
city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I
cannot chose but
weep.
too polite
to make any personal remarks out loud.
little street there is a poor house. One of
the windows is open, and
through it I can see
a woman seated at a table. Her face is thin and
worn,
and she has coarse, red hands, all
pricked by the needle, for she is a
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seamstress. She is embroidering passion-
flowers on a satin gown for the
loveliest of
the Queen's maids-of- honour to wear at the next
Court-ball.
In a bed in the corner of the
room her little boy is lying ill. He has a
fever, and is asking for oranges. His mother
has nothing to give him but
river water, so
he is crying. Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,
will you
not bring her the ruby out of my
sword-hilt? My feet are fastened to this
pedestal and I cannot move.
up and
down the Nile, and talking to the large lotus-
flowers. Soon they
4 The Happy Prince and
Other Tales
will go to sleep in the tomb of
the great King. The King is there himself in
his painted coffin. He is wrapped in yellow
linen, and embalmed with
spices. Round his
neck is a chain of pale green jade, and his hands
are
like withered leaves.
with me
for one night, and be my messenger?
The boy is so thirsty, and
the mother so
sad.
when I was staying on the river,
there were two rude boys, the miller's
sons,
who were always throwing stones at me. They never
hit me, of
course; we swallows fly far too
well for that, and besides, I come of a
family famous for its agility; but still, it
was a mark of disrespect.
But the Happy
Prince looked so sad that the little Swallow was
sorry.
be your messenger.
So the Swallow picked out the great ruby from the
Prince's sword, and
flew away with it in his
beak over the roofs of the town.
He
passed by the cathedral tower, where the white
marble angels were
sculptured. He passed by
the palace and heard the sound of dancing. A
beautiful girl came out on the balcony with
her lover.
stars are,
answered;
seamstresses are so lazy.
He passed
over the river, and saw the lanterns hanging to
the masts of
the ships. He passed over the
Ghetto, and saw the old Jews bargaining
with
each other, and weighing out money in copper
scales. At last he
came to the poor house and
looked in. The boy was tossing feverishly on
his bed, and the mother had fallen asleep, she
was so tired. In he hopped,
and laid the
great ruby on the table beside the woman's
thimble. Then he
flew gently round the bed,
fanning the boy's forehead with his wings.
5
The Happy Prince and Other Tales
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a
delicious slumber.
Then the Swallow flew
back to the Happy Prince, and told him what
he had done.
although it is so cold.
the little Swallow began to think, and then he
fell asleep. Thinking always
made him sleepy.
When day broke he flew down to the river
and had a bath.
remarkable
phenomenon,
passing over the bridge.
letter
about it to the local newspaper. Every one quoted
it, it was full of
so many words that they
could not understand.
at the
prospect. He visited all the public monuments, and
sat a long time
on top of the church steeple.
Wherever he went the Sparrows chirruped,
and
said to each other,
himself very much.
When the moon rose he flew back to the Happy
Prince.
any commissions for Egypt?
with me one night longer?
friends
will fly up to the Second Cataract. The river-
horse couches there
among the bulrushes, and
on a great granite throne sits the God Memnon.
All night long he watches the stars, and when
the morning star shines he
utters one cry of
joy, and then he is silent. At noon the yellow
lions come
down to the water's edge to drink.
They have eyes like green beryls, and
their
roar is louder than the roar of the cataract.
the city I see a young man in a
garret. He is leaning over a desk covered
with papers, and in a tumbler by his side
there is a bunch of withered
6
The Happy Prince
and Other Tales
violets. His hair is brown
and crisp, and his lips are red as a pomegranate,
and he has large and dreamy eyes. He is trying
to finish a play for the
Director of the
Theatre, but he is too cold to write any more.
There is no
fire in the grate, and hunger has
made him faint.
had a good heart.
have left. They are made of rare sapphires,
which were brought out of
India a thousand
years ago. Pluck out one of them and take it to
him.
He will sell it to the jeweller, and buy
food and firewood, and finish his
play.
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weep.
you.
So the Swallow
plucked out the Prince's eye, and flew away to the
student's garret. It was easy enough to get
in, as there was a hole in the
roof. Through
this he darted, and came into the room. The young
man
had his head buried in his hands, so he
did not hear the flutter of the bird's
wings,
and when he looked up he found the beautiful
sapphire lying on the
withered violets.
admirer. Now I can finish my play,
The
next day the Swallow flew down to the harbour. He
sat on the
mast of a large vessel and watched
the sailors hauling big chests out of the
hold with ropes.
the moon rose he flew
back to the Happy Prince.
with me one night longer?
7
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
here. In Egypt the
sun is warm on the green palm-trees, and the
crocodiles lie in the mud and look lazily
about them. My companions are
building a nest
in the Temple of Baalbec, and the pink and white
doves are
watching them, and cooing to each
other. Dear Prince, I must leave you,
but I
will never forget you, and next spring I will
bring you back two
beautiful jewels in place
of those you have given away. The ruby shall
be redder than a red rose, and the sapphire
shall be as blue as the great
sea.
match-girl. She has let her matches fall in
the gutter, and they are all
spoiled. Her
father will beat her if she does not bring home
some money,
and she is crying. She has no
shoes or stockings, and her little head is
bare. Pluck out my other eye, and give it to
her, and her father will not
beat her.
pluck out your eye. You would be quite blind
then.
you.
So he plucked out the
Prince's other eye, and darted down with it. He
swooped past the match-girl, and slipped the
jewel into the palm of her
hand.
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laughing.
Then the Swallow came back
to the Prince.
said,
Egypt.
Prince's feet.
All the next day he sat
on the Prince's shoulder, and told him stories of
what he had seen in strange lands. He told him
of the red ibises, who
stand in long rows on
the banks of the Nile, and catch gold-fish in
their
beaks; of the Sphinx, who is as old as
the world itself, and lives in the
8
The Happy Prince
and Other Tales
desert, and knows everything;
of the merchants, who walk slowly by the
side
of their camels, and carry amber beads in their
hands; of the King of
the Mountains of the
Moon, who is as black as ebony, and worships a
large crystal; of the great green snake that
sleeps in a palm-tree, and has
twenty priests
to feed it with honey-cakes; and of the pygmies
who sail
over a big lake on large flat
leaves, and are always at war with the
butterflies.
things, but more
marvellous than anything is the suffering of men
and of
women. There is no Mystery so great as
Misery. Fly over my city, little
Swallow, and
tell me what you see there.
So the Swallow
flew over the great city, and saw the rich making
merry in their beautiful houses, while the
beggars were sitting at the gates.
He flew
into dark lanes, and saw the white faces of
starving children
looking out listlessly at
the black streets. Under the archway of a bridge
two little boys were lying in one another's
arms to try and keep themselves
warm.
shouted the Watchman, and they wandered out
into the rain.
Then he flew back and told
the Prince what he had seen.
leaf by
leaf, and give it to my poor; the living always
think that gold can
make them happy.
Leaf after leaf of the fine gold the Swallow
picked off, till the Happy
Prince looked
quite dull and grey. Leaf after leaf of the fine
gold he
brought to the poor, and the
children's faces grew rosier, and they laughed
and played games in the street.
Then
the snow came, and after the snow came the frost.
The streets
looked as if they were made of
silver, they were so bright and glistening;
long icicles like crystal daggers hung down
from the eaves of the houses,
everybody went
about in furs, and the little boys wore scarlet
caps and
skated on the ice.
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The poor little Swallow grew colder and colder,
but he would not leave
9
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
the Prince, he loved
him too well. He picked up crumbs outside the
baker's door when the baker was not looking
and tried to keep himself
warm by flapping
his wings.
But at last he knew that he
was going to die. He had just strength to
fly
up to the Prince's shoulder once more.
murmured,
Prince,
for I love
you.
the House of Death. Death is the
brother of Sleep, is he not?
And he kissed
the Happy Prince on the lips, and fell down dead
at his
feet.
At that moment a
curious crack sounded inside the statue, as if
something had broken. The fact is that the
leaden heart had snapped
right in two. It
certainly was a dreadfully hard frost.
Early the next morning the Mayor was walking in
the square below in
company with the Town
Councillors. As they passed the column he
looked up at the statue:
he said.
with the Mayor; and they went up to look at
it.
golden no longer,
beggar!
die here.
So they pulled
down the statue of the Happy Prince.
longer
beautiful he is no longer useful,
University.
10
The Happy Prince
and Other Tales
Then they melted the
statue in a furnace, and the Mayor held a
meeting of the Corporation to decide what was
to be done with the metal.
of myself.
When I last heard of them they were
quarrelling still.
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foundry.
throw it away.
was also lying.
His Angels; and the Angel brought Him
the leaden heart and the dead bird.
this little bird shall sing for evermore, and
in my city of gold the Happy
Prince shall
praise me.
11
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
THE NIGHTINGALE
AND THE
ROSE
cried the young Student;
From
her nest in the holm-oak tree the Nightingale
heard him, and she
looked out through the
leaves, and wondered.
with tears.
read all that the wise men have written, and
all the secrets of philosophy
are mine, yet
for want of a red rose is my life made
wretched.
have I sung of him, though I
knew him not: night after night have I told
his story to the stars, and now I see him. His
hair is dark as the hyacinth-
blossom, and
his lips are red as the rose of his desire; but
passion has
made his face like pale ivory,
and sorrow has set her seal upon his brow.
Student,
she will dance with me till dawn.
If I bring her a red rose, I shall hold
her
in my arms, and she will lean her head upon my
shoulder, and her
hand will be clasped in
mine. But there is no red rose in my garden, so I
shall sit lonely, and she will pass me by. She
will have no heed of me,
and my heart will
break.
he suffers - what is joy to me,
to him is pain. Surely Love is a wonderful
thing. It is more precious than emeralds, and
dearer than fine opals.
Pearls and
pomegranates cannot buy it, nor is it set forth in
the
12
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
marketplace. It may
not be purchased of the merchants, nor can it be
weighed out in the balance for gold.
play upon their stringed instruments, and my
love will dance to the sound
of the harp and
the violin. She will dance so lightly that her
feet will not
touch the floor, and the
courtiers in their gay dresses will throng round
her.
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But
with me she will not dance, for I have no red rose
to give her
flung himself down on the grass,
and buried his face in his hands, and
wept.
with his tail in the air.
sunbeam.
voice.
rose?
something of a cynic, laughed
outright.
But the Nightingale understood
the secret of the Student's sorrow, and
she
sat silent in the oak-tree, and thought about the
mystery of Love.
Suddenly she spread her
brown wings for flight, and soared into the air.
She passed through the grove like a shadow,
and like a shadow she sailed
across the
garden.
In the centre of the grass-plot
was standing a beautiful Rose-tree, and
when
she saw it she flew over to it, and lit upon a
spray.
song.
But the Tree
shook its head.
and whiter than the
snow upon the mountain. But go to my brother who
grows round the old sun-dial, and perhaps he
will give you what you
want.
13
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
So the Nightingale
flew over to the Rose-tree that was growing round
the old sun-dial.
song.
But the Tree shook its head.
mermaiden who sits upon an amber throne, and
yellower than the daffodil
that blooms in the
meadow before the mower comes with his scythe. But
go to my brother who grows beneath the
Student's window, and perhaps he
will give
you what you want.
So the Nightingale flew
over to the Rose-tree that was growing
beneath the Student's window.
song.
But the Tree shook its head.
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redder than the great fans of coral that wave
and wave in the ocean-cavern.
But the winter
has chilled my veins, and the frost has nipped my
buds, and
the storm has broken my branches,
and I shall have no roses at all this
year.
Is there no way by which I
can get it?
tell it to you.
by moonlight, and stain it with your own
heart's-blood. You must sing to
me with your
breast against a thorn. All night long you must
sing to me,
and the thorn must pierce your
heart, and your life-blood must flow into
my
veins, and become mine.
14
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
watch the Sun in his
chariot of gold, and the Moon in her chariot of
pearl.
Sweet is the scent of the hawthorn,
and sweet are the bluebells that hide in
the
valley, and the heather that blows on the hill.
Yet Love is better than
Life, and what is the
heart of a bird compared to the heart of a
man?
So she spread her brown wings for
flight, and soared into the air. She
swept
over the garden like a shadow, and like a shadow
she sailed through
the grove.
The
young Student was still lying on the grass, where
she had left him,
and the tears were not yet
dry in his beautiful eyes.
rose. I
will build it out of music by moonlight, and stain
it with my own
heart's-blood. All that I ask
of you in return is that you will be a true
lover, for Love is wiser than Philosophy,
though she is wise, and mightier
than Power,
though he is mighty. Flame- coloured are his
wings, and
coloured like flame is his body.
His lips are sweet as honey, and his
breath
is like frankincense.
The Student looked
up from the grass, and listened, but he could not
understand what the Nightingale was saying to
him, for he only knew the
things that are
written down in books.
But the Oak-tree
understood, and felt sad, for he was very fond of
the
little Nightingale who had built her nest
in his branches.
you are gone.
So the Nightingale sang to the Oak-tree, and her
voice was like water
bubbling from a silver
jar.
When she had finished her song the
Student got up, and pulled a note-
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book and a lead-pencil out of his pocket.
grove -
not. In fact, she is like
most artists; she is all style, without any
sincerity.
She would not sacrifice herself
for others. She thinks merely of music,
and
everybody knows that the arts are selfish. Still,
it must be admitted
15
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
that she has some
beautiful notes in her voice. What a pity it is
that they
do not mean anything, or do any
practical good.
room, and lay down on his
little pallet-bed, and began to think of his love;
and, after a time, he fell asleep.
And when the Moon shone in the heavens the
Nightingale flew to the
Rose-tree, and set
her breast against the thorn. All night long she
sang
with her breast against the thorn, and
the cold crystal Moon leaned down
and
listened. All night long she sang, and the thorn
went deeper and
deeper into her breast, and
her life-blood ebbed away from her.
She
sang first of the birth of love in the heart of a
boy and a girl. And
on the top-most spray of
the Rose-tree there blossomed a marvellous rose,
petal following petal, as song followed song.
Pale was it, at first, as the
mist that hangs
over the river - pale as the feet of the morning,
and silver
as the wings of the dawn. As the
shadow of a rose in a mirror of silver, as
the shadow of a rose in a water-pool, so was
the rose that blossomed on
the topmost spray
of the Tree.
But the Tree cried to the
Nightingale to press closer against the thorn.
before the rose is finished.
So the
Nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and
louder and
louder grew her song, for she sang
of the birth of passion in the soul of a
man
and a maid.
And a delicate flush of pink
came into the leaves of the rose, like the
flush in the face of the bridegroom when he
kisses the lips of the bride.
But the thorn
had not yet reached her heart, so the rose's heart
remained
white, for only a Nightingale's
heart's-blood can crimson the heart of a
rose.
And the Tree cried to the
Nightingale to press closer against the thorn.
before the rose is finished.
So the
Nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and
the thorn
touched her heart, and a fierce
pang of pain shot through her. Bitter, bitter
16
The Happy Prince
and Other Tales
was the pain, and wilder and
wilder grew her song, for she sang of the
Love that is perfected by Death, of the Love
that dies not in the tomb.
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And the marvellous rose became crimson, like the
rose of the eastern
sky. Crimson was the
girdle of petals, and crimson as a ruby was the
heart.
But the Nightingale's voice
grew fainter, and her little wings began to
beat, and a film came over her eyes. Fainter
and fainter grew her song,
and she felt
something choking her in her throat.
Then
she gave one last burst of music. The white Moon
heard it, and
she forgot the dawn, and
lingered on in the sky. The red rose heard it,
and it trembled all over with ecstasy, and
opened its petals to the cold
morning air.
Echo bore it to her purple cavern in the hills,
and woke the
sleeping shepherds from their
dreams. It floated through the reeds of the
river, and they carried its message to the
sea.
Nightingale made no answer, for
she was lying dead in the long grass,
with
the thorn in her heart.
And at noon the
Student opened his window and looked out.
I have never seen any rose like it in all my
life. It is so beautiful that I
am sure it
has a long Latin name
Then he put on his
hat, and ran up to the Professor's house with the
rose in his hand.
The daughter of the
Professor was sitting in the doorway winding blue
silk on a reel, and her little dog was lying
at her feet.
cried the Student.
wear it to-night next your heart, and as we
dance together it will tell you
how I love
you.
But the girl frowned.
the
Chamberlain's nephew has sent me some real jewels,
and everybody
17
The Happy Prince
and Other Tales
knows that jewels cost far
more than flowers.
angrily; and he
threw the rose into the street, where it fell into
the gutter,
and a cart-wheel went over it.
after all, who are you? Only a
Student. Why, I don't believe you have
even
got silver buckles to your shoes as the
Chamberlain's nephew has
and she got up from
her chair and went into the house.
is
not half as useful as Logic, for it does not prove
anything, and it is
always telling one of
things that are not going to happen, and making
one
believe things that are not true. In
fact, it is quite unpractical, and, as in
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this age to be practical is everything, I
shall go back to Philosophy and
study
Metaphysics.
So he returned to his room and
pulled out a great dusty book, and
began to
read.
18
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
THE
SELFISH GIANT
Every afternoon, as they
were coming from school, the children used
to
go and play in the Giant's garden.
It was
a large lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here
and there
over the grass stood beautiful
flowers like stars, and there were twelve
peach-trees that in the spring-time broke out
into delicate blossoms of pink
and pearl, and
in the autumn bore rich fruit. The birds sat on
the trees
and sang so sweetly that the
children used to stop their games in order to
listen to them.
One day the Giant came
back. He had been to visit his friend the
Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for
seven years. After the seven
years were over
he had said all that he had to say, for his
conversation was
limited, and he determined
to return to his own castle. When he
arrived
he saw the children playing in the
garden.
children ran away.
understand that, and I will allow nobody to
play in it but myself.
built a high wall all
round it, and put up a notice-board.
TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED
He was a
very selfish Giant.
The poor children had
now nowhere to play. They tried to play on
the road, but the road was very dusty and full
of hard stones, and they did
not like it.
They used to wander round the high wall when their
lessons
were over, and talk about the
beautiful garden inside.
were
there,
Then the Spring came, and all over
the country there were little
blossoms and
little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish
Giant it was
19
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
still winter. The
birds did not care to sing in it as there were no
children,
and the trees forgot to blossom.
Once a beautiful flower put its head out
from
the grass, but when it saw the notice-board it was
so sorry for the
children that it slipped
back into the ground again, and went off to sleep.
The only people who were pleased were the Snow
and the Frost.
has forgotten this
garden,
round.
the Frost painted all the
trees silver. Then they invited the North Wind to
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stay with them, and he came. He was wrapped in
furs, and he roared all
day about the garden,
and blew the chimney-pots down.
delightful
spot,
came. Every day for three hours he
rattled on the roof of the castle till he
broke most of the slates, and then he ran
round and round the garden as
fast as he
could go. He was dressed in grey, and his breath
was like ice.
Selfish Giant, as he
sat at the window and looked out at his cold white
garden;
But the Spring never came,
nor the Summer. The Autumn gave
golden fruit
to every garden, but to the Giant's garden she
gave none.
is too selfish,
Wind, and the
Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow danced about
through the
trees.
One morning the
Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some
lovely music. It sounded so sweet to his ears
that he thought it must be
the King's
musicians passing by. It was really only a little
linnet singing
outside his window, but it was
so long since he had heard a bird sing in his
garden that it seemed to him to be the most
beautiful music in the world.
Then the Hail
stopped dancing over his head, and the North Wind
ceased
roaring, and a delicious perfume came
to him through the open casement.
of bed
and looked out.
What did he see?
20
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
He saw a most
wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall
the
children had crept in, and they were
sitting in the branches of the trees.
In
every tree that he could see there was a little
child. And the trees were
so glad to have the
children back again that they had covered
themselves
with blossoms, and were waving
their arms gently above the children's
heads.
The birds were flying about and twittering with
delight, and the
flowers were looking up
through the green grass and laughing. It was a
lovely scene, only in one corner it was still
winter. It was the farthest
corner of the
garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He
was so small
that he could not reach up to
the branches of the tree, and he was
wandering all round it, crying bitterly. The
poor tree was still quite
covered with frost
and snow, and the North Wind was blowing and
roaring
above it.
down as low as it
could; but the boy was too tiny.
And the
Giant's heart melted as he looked out.
been!
put that poor little boy on the top
of the tree, and then I will knock down
the
wall, and my garden shall be the children's
playground for ever and
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ever.
So he crept downstairs and opened
the front door quite softly, and
went out
into the garden. But when the children saw him
they were so
frightened that they all ran
away, and the garden became winter again.
Only the little boy did not run, for his eyes
were so full of tears that he did
not see the
Giant coming. And the Giant stole up behind him
and took
him gently in his hand, and put him
up into the tree. And the tree broke
at once
into blossom, and the birds came and sang on it,
and the little boy
stretched out his two arms
and flung them round the Giant's neck, and
kissed him. And the other children, when they
saw that the Giant was not
wicked any longer,
came running back, and with them came the Spring.
axe and knocked down the wall. And when
the people were going to
market at twelve
o'clock they found the Giant playing with the
children in
21
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
the most beautiful
garden they had ever seen.
All day long
they played, and in the evening they came to the
Giant to
bid him good-bye.
tree.
Giant. But the
children said that they did not know where he
lived, and
had never seen him before; and the
Giant felt very sad.
Every afternoon,
when school was over, the children came and played
with the Giant. But the little boy whom the
Giant loved was never seen
again. The Giant
was very kind to all the children, yet he longed
for his
first little friend, and often spoke
of him.
he used to say.
Years went
over, and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He
could
not play about any more, so he sat in a
huge armchair, and watched the
children at
their games, and admired his garden.
flowers,
One winter morning he looked
out of his window as he was dressing.
He did
not hate the Winter now, for he knew that it was
merely the Spring
asleep, and that the
flowers were resting.
Suddenly he rubbed
his eyes in wonder, and looked and looked. It
certainly was a marvellous sight. In the
farthest corner of the garden was
a tree
quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its
branches were all
golden, and silver fruit
hung down from them, and underneath it stood the
little boy he had loved.
Downstairs
ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the
garden. He
hastened across the grass, and
came near to the child. And when he came
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quite close his face grew red with anger, and
he said,
wound thee?
two nails, and the
prints of two nails were on the little feet.
22
The Happy Prince
and Other Tales
take my big sword and slay
him.
knelt before the little
child.
And the child smiled on the Giant,
and said to him,
once in your garden, to-day
you shall come with me to my garden, which
is
Paradise.
And when the children ran in that
afternoon, they found the Giant
lying dead
under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.
23
The Happy Prince
and Other Tales
THE DEVOTED
FRIEND
One morning the old Water-rat put
his head out of his hole. He had
bright beady
eyes and stiff grey whiskers and his tail was like
a long bit of
black india-rubber. The little
ducks were swimming about in the pond,
looking just like a lot of yellow canaries,
and their mother, who was pure
white with
real red legs, was trying to teach them how to
stand on their
heads in the water.
heads,
how it was done. But the little
ducks paid no attention to her. They
were so
young that they did not know what an advantage it
is to be in
society at all.
deserve to be drowned.
beginning,
and parents cannot be too patient.
intend to be. Love is all very well in its
way, but friendship is much
higher. Indeed, I
know of nothing in the world that is either nobler
or
rarer than a devoted friendship.
a Green Linnet, who was sitting in a willow-
tree hard by, and had
overheard the
conversation.
away to the end of the
pond, and stood upon her head, in order to give
her
children a good example.
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24
The Happy Prince
and Other Tales
devoted friend to be devoted
to me, of course.
a silver spray, and
flapping his tiny wings.
for I am extremely fond of fiction.
alighting upon the bank, he told the story of
The Devoted Friend.
named Hans.
except for his kind heart, and his
funny round good-humoured face. He
lived in a
tiny cottage all by himself, and every day he
worked in his
garden. In all the country-side
there was no garden so lovely as his.
Sweet-
william grew there, and Gilly-flowers, and
Shepherds'-purses, and
Fair-maids of France.
There were damask Roses, and yellow Roses, lilac
Crocuses, and gold, purple Violets and white.
Columbine and
Ladysmock, Marjoram and Wild
Basil, the Cowslip and the Flower-de-
luce,
the Daffodil and the Clove-Pink bloomed or
blossomed in their
proper order as the months
went by, one flower taking another flower's
place, so that there were always beautiful
things to look at, and pleasant
odours to
smell.
all was big Hugh the Miller.
Indeed, so devoted was the rich Miller to
little Hans, that be would never go by his
garden without leaning over the
wall and
plucking a large nosegay, or a handful of sweet
herbs, or filling
his pockets with plums and
cherries if it was the fruit season.
say, and little Hans nodded and smiled, and
felt very proud of having a
friend with such
noble ideas.
25
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
Miller never
gave little Hans anything in return, though he had
a hundred
sacks of flour stored away in his
mill, and six milch cows, and a large
flock
of woolly sheep; but Hans never troubled his head
about these things,
and nothing gave him
greater pleasure than to listen to all the
wonderful
things the Miller used to say about
the unselfishness of true friendship.
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summer, and the autumn he was very happy, but
when the winter came,
and he had no fruit or
flowers to bring to the market, he suffered a good
deal from cold and hunger, and often had to go
to bed without any supper
but a few dried
pears or some hard nuts. In the winter, also, he
was
extremely lonely, as the Miller never
came to see him then.
lasts,' the
Miller used to say to his wife, 'for when people
are in trouble
they should be left alone, and
not be bothered by visitors. That at least is
my idea about friendship, and I am sure I am
right. So I shall wait till the
spring comes,
and then I shall pay him a visit, and he will be
able to give
me a large basket of primroses
and that will make him so happy.'
as
she sat in her comfortable armchair by the big
pinewood fire; 'very
thoughtful indeed. It is
quite a treat to hear you talk about friendship. I
am sure the clergyman himself could not say
such beautiful things as you
do, though he
does live in a three-storied house, and wear a
gold ring on
his little finger.'
son. 'If poor Hans is in trouble I will give
him half my porridge, and
show him my white
rabbits.'
is the use of sending you
to school. You seem not to learn anything.
Why, if little Hans came up here, and saw our
warm fire, and our good
supper, and our great
cask of red wine, he might get envious, and envy
is a
most terrible thing, and would spoil
anybody's nature. I certainly will not
26
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
allow Hans' nature to
be spoiled. I am his best friend, and I will
always
watch over him, and see that he is not
led into any temptations. Besides,
if Hans
came here, he might ask me to let him have some
flour on credit,
and that I could not do.
Flour is one thing, and friendship is another, and
they should not be confused. Why, the words
are spelt differently, and
mean quite
different things. Everybody can see that.'
glass of warm ale; 'really I feel quite
drowsy. It is just like being in
church.'
talk well, which shows that talking
is much the more difficult thing of the
two,
and much the finer thing also'; and he looked
sternly across the table
at his little son,
who felt so ashamed of himself that he hung his
head
down, and grew quite scarlet, and began
to cry into his tea. However, he
was so young
that you must excuse him.
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story-teller nowadays starts with the end, and
then goes on to the
beginning, and concludes
with the middle. That is the new method. I
heard all about it the other day from a critic
who was walking round the
pond with a young
man. He spoke of the matter at great length, and I
am
sure he must have been right, for he had
blue spectacles and a bald head,
and whenever
the young man made any remark, he always answered
'Pooh!' But pray go on with your story. I like
the Miller immensely. I
have all kinds of
beautiful sentiments myself, so there is a great
sympathy
between us.
yellow
stars, the Miller said to his wife that he would
go down and see
little Hans.
27
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
thinking of others.
And mind you take the big basket with you for the
flowers.'
chain, and went down
the hill with the basket on his arm.
ear to ear.
indeed. I am
afraid I had rather a hard time of it, but now the
spring has
come, and I am quite happy, and
all my flowers are doing well.'
wondered how you were getting on.'
me.'
That is the wonderful thing
about it, but I am afraid you don't understand
the poetry of life. How lovely your primroses
are looking, by-the-bye
thing for me
that I have so many. I am going to bring them into
the
market and sell them to the Burgomaster's
daughter, and buy back my
wheelbarrow with
the money.'
it? What a very stupid
thing to do'!
winter was a very bad
time for me, and I really had no money at all to
buy
bread with. So I first sold the silver
buttons off my Sunday coat, and
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then I sold my silver chain, and then I sold
my big pipe, and at last I sold
my
wheelbarrow. But I am going to buy them all back
again now.'
very good repair; indeed,
one side is gone, and there is something wrong
with the wheel-spokes; but in spite of that I
will give it to you. I know it
28
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
is very generous of
me, and a great many people would think me
extremely foolish for parting with it, but I
am not like the rest of the world.
I think
that generosity is the essence of friendship, and,
besides, I have got
a new wheelbarrow for
myself. Yes, you may set your mind at
ease, I
will give you my wheelbarrow.'
round face glowed all over with pleasure. 'I
can easily put it in repair, as
I have a
plank of wood in the house.'
the roof
of my barn. There is a very large hole in it, and
the corn will all
get damp if I don't stop it
up. How lucky you mentioned it! It is quite
remarkable how one good action always breeds
another. I have given
you my wheelbarrow, and
now you are going to give me your plank. Of
course, the wheelbarrow is worth far more than
the plank, but true,
friendship never notices
things like that. Pray get it at once, and I will
set
to work at my barn this very day.'
plank out.
afraid that after I
have mended my barn-roof there won't be any left
for
you to mend the wheelbarrow with; but, of
course, that is not my fault.
And now, as I
have given you my wheelbarrow, I am sure you would
like
to give me some flowers in return. Here
is the basket, and mind you fill
it quite
full.'
very big basket, and he knew
that if he filled it he would have no flowers
left for the market and he was very anxious to
get his silver buttons back.
wheelbarrow, I don't think that it is much to
ask you for a few flowers. I
may be wrong,
but I should have thought that friendship, true
friendship,
was quite free from selfishness
of any kind.'
29
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
all the flowers in my
garden. I would much sooner have your good
opinion than my silver buttons, any day'; and
he ran and plucked all his
pretty primroses,
and filled the Miller's basket.
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plank on his shoulder, and the big basket in
his hand.
he was so pleased about the
wheelbarrow.
when he heard the
Miller's voice calling to him from the road. So he
jumped off the ladder, and ran down the
garden, and looked over the wall.
of flour for me to market?'
have
got all my creepers to nail up, and all my flowers
to water, and all my
grass to roll.'
to give you my wheelbarrow, it is rather
unfriendly of you to refuse.'
whole
world'; and he ran in for his cap, and trudged off
with the big sack
on his shoulders.
Hans had reached the sixth milestone he was so
tired that he had to sit
down and rest.
However, he went on bravely, and as last he
reached the
market. After he had waited there
some time, he sold the sack of flour
for a
very good price, and then he returned home at
once, for he was afraid
that if he stopped
too late he might meet some robbers on the way.
going to bed, 'but I am glad I did not
refuse the Miller, for he is my best
friend,
and, besides, he is going to give me his
wheelbarrow.'
his sack of flour, but
little Hans was so tired that he was still in bed.
30
The Happy Prince
and Other Tales
considering that I
am going to give you my wheelbarrow, I think you
might work harder. Idleness is a great sin,
and I certainly don't like any
of my friends
to be idle or sluggish. You must not mind my
speaking
quite plainly to you. Of course I
should not dream of doing so if I were
not
your friend. But what is the good of friendship if
one cannot say
exactly what one means?
Anybody can say charming things and try to
please and to flatter, but a true friend
always says unpleasant things, and
does not
mind giving pain. Indeed, if he is a really true
friend he prefers
it, for he knows that then
he is doing good.'
night-cap, 'but I
was so tired that I thought I would lie in bed for
a little
time, and listen to the birds
singing. Do you know that I always work
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better after hearing the birds sing?'
back, 'for I want you to come up to the mill
as soon as you are dressed,
and mend my barn-
roof for me.'
his flowers had not
been watered for two days, but he did not like to
refuse
the Miller, as he was such a good
friend to him.
inquired in a shy and
timid voice.
you, considering that I
am going to give you my wheelbarrow; but of
course if you refuse I will go and do it
myself.'
dressed himself, and went
up to the barn.
came to see how he
was getting on.
Miller in a cheery
voice.
31
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
does for
others.'
sitting down, and wiping
his forehead, 'a very great privilege. But I am
afraid I shall never have such beautiful ideas
as you have.'
pains. At present you
have only the practice of friendship; some day you
will have the theory also.'
mended the roof, you had better go home and
rest, for I want you to drive
my sheep to the
mountain to-morrow.'
morning the
Miller brought his sheep round to the cottage, and
Hans
started off with them to the mountain.
It took him the whole day to get
there and
back; and when he returned he was so tired that he
went off to
sleep in his chair, and did not
wake up till it was broad daylight.
went to work at once.
friend the
Miller was always coming round and sending him off
on long
errands, or getting him to help at
the mill. Little Hans was very much
distressed at times, as he was afraid his
flowers would think he had
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forgotten them, but he consoled himself by the
reflection that the Miller
was his best
friend. 'Besides,' he used to say, 'he is going to
give me his
wheelbarrow, and that is an act
of pure generosity.'
kinds of
beautiful things about friendship, which Hans took
down in a
note-book, and used to read over at
night, for he was a very good scholar.
fireside when a loud rap came at the door. It
was a very wild night, and
the wind was
blowing and roaring round the house so terribly
that at first
32
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
he thought it was
merely the storm. But a second rap came, and then
a
third, louder than any of the others.
door.
the other.
boy
has fallen off a ladder and hurt himself, and I am
going for the Doctor.
But he lives so far
away, and it is such a bad night, that it has just
occurred
to me that it would be much better
if you went instead of me. You know
I am
going to give you my wheelbarrow, and so, it is
only fair that you
should do something for me
in return.'
coming to me, and I will
start off at once. But you must lend me your
lantern, as the night is so dark that I am
afraid I might fall into the ditch.'
would be a great loss to me if anything
happened to it.'
down his great fur
coat, and his warm scarlet cap, and tied a muffler
round
his throat, and started off.
Hans could hardly see, and the wind was so
strong that he could scarcely
stand. However,
he was very courageous, and after he had been
walking
about three hours, he arrived at the
Doctor's house, and knocked at the
door.
window.
the Miller wants you to come at once.'
33
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The Happy Prince
and Other Tales
boots, and his lantern, and
came downstairs, and rode off in the direction
of the Miller's house, little Hans trudging
behind him.
little Hans could not
see where he was going, or keep up with the horse.
At last he lost his way, and wandered off on
the moor, which was a very
dangerous place,
as it was full of deep holes, and there poor
little Hans
was drowned. His body was found
the next day by some goatherds,
floating in a
great pool of water, and was brought back by them
to the
cottage.
Miller was the
chief mourner.
have the best place';
so he walked at the head of the procession in a
long
black cloak, and every now and then he
wiped his eyes with a big pocket-
handkerchief.
when the funeral
was over, and they were all seated comfortably in
the inn,
drinking spiced wine and eating
sweet cakes.
good as given him my
wheelbarrow, and now I really don't know what to
do with it. It is very much in my way at home,
and it is in such bad
repair that I could not
get anything for it if I sold it. I will certainly
take
care not to give away anything again.
One always suffers for being
generous.'
don't care.
said the Water-rat.
34
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
Linnet.
should have told me
that before you began. If you had done so, I
certainly would not have listened to you; in
fact, I should have said 'Pooh,'
like the
critic. However, I can say it now
24
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the
top of his voice, gave a whisk with his tail, and
went back into his
hole.
paddling up some minutes afterwards.
but
for my own part I have a mother's feelings, and I
can never look at a
confirmed bachelor
without the tears coming into my eyes.
very dangerous thing to do,
And I
quite agree with her.
35
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
THE REMARKABLE
ROCKET
The King's son was going to be
married, so there were general
rejoicings. He
had waited a whole year for his bride, and at last
she had
arrived. She was a Russian Princess,
and had driven all the way from
Finland in a
sledge drawn by six reindeer. The sledge was
shaped like a
great golden swan, and between
the swan's wings lay the little Princess
herself. Her long ermine-cloak reached right
down to her feet, on her
head was a tiny cap
of silver tissue, and she was as pale as the Snow
Palace in which she had always lived. So pale
was she that as she drove
through the streets
all the people wondered.
they cried, and they
threw down flowers on her from the balconies.
At the gate of the Castle the Prince was
waiting to receive her. He had
dreamy violet
eyes, and his hair was like fine gold. When he saw
her he
sank upon one knee, and kissed her
hand.
beautiful than your picture
For the next three days everybody went
about saying,
Red rose, Red rose, White
rose
salary was to be doubled. As he received
no salary at all this was not of
much use to
him, but it was considered a great honour, and was
duly
published in the Court Gazette.
When the three days were over the marriage was
celebrated. It was a
magnificent ceremony,
and the bride and bridegroom walked hand in hand
under a canopy of purple velvet embroidered
with little pearls. Then
there was a State
Banquet, which lasted for five hours. The Prince
and
Princess sat at the top of the Great Hall
and drank out of a cup of clear
36
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
crystal. Only true
lovers could drink out of this cup, for if false
lips
touched it, it grew grey and dull and
cloudy.
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as crystal!
honour!
After the
banquet there was to be a Ball. The bride and
bridegroom
were to dance the Rose-dance
together, and the King had promised to play
the flute. He played very badly, but no one
had ever dared to tell him so,
because he was
the King. Indeed, he knew only two airs, and was
never
quite certain which one he was playing;
but it made no matter, for,
whatever he did,
everybody cried out,
The last item on the
programme was a grand display of fireworks, to
be let off exactly at midnight. The little
Princess had never seen a
firework in her
life, so the King had given orders that the Royal
Pyrotechnist should be in attendance on the
day of her marriage.
she was walking
on the terrace.
answered questions
that were addressed to other people,
natural.
I prefer them to stars myself, as you always know
when they are
going to appear, and they are
as delightful as my own flute-playing. You
must certainly see them.
So at the end
of the King's garden a great stand had been set
up, and as
soon as the Royal Pyrotechnist had
put everything in its proper place, the
fireworks began to talk to each other.
at those yellow tulips. Why! if they were real
crackers they could not be
lovelier. I am
very glad I have travelled. Travel improves the
mind
wonderfully, and does away with all
one's prejudices.
Roman Candle;
three days to see it thoroughly.
37
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
Catherine
Wheel, who had been attached to an old deal box in
early life,
and prided herself on her broken
heart;
more, the poets have killed it. They
wrote so much about it that nobody
believed
them, and I am not surprised. True love suffers,
and is silent. I
remember myself once - But
it is no matter now. Romance is a thing of
the past.
the moon, and lives for
ever. The bride and bridegroom, for instance,
love each other very dearly. I heard all about
them this morning from a
brown-paper
cartridge, who happened to be staying in the same
drawer as
myself, and knew the latest Court
news.
26
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her
head.
murmured. She was one of those people
who think that, if you say the
same thing
over and over a great many times, it becomes true
in the end.
Suddenly, a sharp, dry cough
was heard, and they all looked round.
It
came from a tall, supercilious-looking Rocket, who
was tied to the
end of a long stick. He
always coughed before he made any observation,
so as to attract attention.
Catherine Wheel, who was still shaking her
head, and murmuring,
and had
always taken a prominent part in the local
elections, so he knew
the proper
Parliamentary expressions to use.
sleep.
As soon as there was perfect
silence, the Rocket coughed a third time
and
began. He spoke with a very slow, distinct voice,
as if he was
dictating his memoirs, and
always looked over the shoulder of the person
to whom he was talking. In fact, he had a most
distinguished manner.
38
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
married on the very
day on which I am to be let off. Really, if it had
been
arranged beforehand, it could not have
turned out better for him; but,
Princes are
always lucky.
and that we were to be
let off in the Prince's honour.
is, but
with me it is different. I am a very remarkable
Rocket, and come
of remarkable parents. My
mother was the most celebrated Catherine
Wheel of her day, and was renowned for her
graceful dancing. When she
made her great
public appearance she spun round nineteen times
before
she went out, and each time that she
did so she threw into the air seven
pink
stars. She was three feet and a half in diameter,
and made of the
very best gunpowder. My
father was a Rocket like myself, and of French
extraction. He flew so high that the people
were afraid that he would
never come down
again. He did, though, for he was of a kindly
disposition, and he made a most brilliant
descent in a shower of golden
rain. The
newspapers wrote about his performance in very
flattering
terms. Indeed, the Court Gazette
called him a triumph of Pylotechnic art.
is Pyrotechnic, for I saw it written on my own
canister.
voice, and the Bengal Light
felt so crushed that he began at once to bully
27
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the little squibs, in order to show that he
was still a person of some
importance.
saying?
was so rudely
interrupted. I hate rudeness and bad manners of
every kind,
for I am extremely sensitive. No
one in the whole world is so sensitive
as I
am, I am quite sure of that.
39
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
people's
toes,
Cracker nearly exploded with laughter.
laughing.
have you
to be happy? You should be thinking about others.
In fact, you
should be thinking about me. I
am always thinking about myself, and I
expect
everybody else to do the same. That is what is
called sympathy.
It is a beautiful virtue,
and I possess it in a high degree. Suppose, for
instance, anything happened to me to-night,
what a misfortune that would
be for every
one! The Prince and Princess would never be happy
again,
their whole married life would be
spoiled; and as for the King, I know he
would
not get over it. Really, when I begin to reflect
on the importance
of my position, I am almost
moved to tears.
had better keep
yourself dry.
I am very
uncommon, and very remarkable. Why, anybody can
have
common sense, provided that they have no
imagination. But I have
imagination, for I
never think of things as they really are; I always
think of
them as being quite different. As
for keeping myself dry, there is
evidently no
one here who can at all appreciate an emotional
nature.
Fortunately for myself, I don't care.
The only thing that sustains one
through life
is the consciousness of the immense inferiority of
everybody
else, and this is a feeling that I
have always cultivated. But none of you
have
any hearts. Here you are laughing and making merry
just as if the
Prince and Princess had not
just been married.
28
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40
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
joyful occasion, and
when I soar up into the air I intend to tell the
stars all
about it. You will see them twinkle
when I talk to them about the pretty
bride.
expected. There is nothing
in you; you are hollow and empty. Why,
perhaps the Prince and Princess may go to live
in a country where there is
a deep river, and
perhaps they may have one only son, a little fair-
haired
boy with violet eyes like the Prince
himself; and perhaps some day he may
go out
to walk with his nurse; and perhaps the nurse may
go to sleep under
a great elder-tree; and
perhaps the little boy may fall into the deep
river
and be drowned. What a terrible
misfortune! Poor people, to lose their
only
son! It is really too dreadful! I shall never get
over it.
misfortune has happened to
them at all.
If they had lost their
only son there would be no use in saying anything
more about the matter. I hate people who cry
over spilt milk. But when
I think that they
might lose their only son, I certainly am very
much
affected.
most affected
person I ever met.
cannot understand my
friendship for the Prince.
knew
him I should not be his friend at all. It is a
very dangerous thing to
know one's
friends.
Fire-balloon.
shall weep
if I choose
down his stick like rain-drops, and
nearly drowned two little beetles, who
were
just thinking of setting up house together, and
were looking for a
41
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
nice dry spot to live
in.
he weeps when there is nothing at
all to weep about
deep sigh, and thought about
the deal box.
But the Roman Candle and
the Bengal Light were quite indignant, and
kept saying,
extremely practical, and
whenever they objected to anything they called it
humbug.
29
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Then the moon rose like a wonderful silver shield;
and the stars began
to shine, and a sound of
music came from the palace.
The Prince
and Princess were leading the dance. They danced
so
beautifully that the tall white lilies
peeped in at the window and watched
them, and
the great red poppies nodded their heads and beat
time.
Then ten o'clock struck, and then
eleven, and then twelve, and at the
last
stroke of midnight every one came out on the
terrace, and the King
sent for the Royal
Pyrotechnist.
made a low bow, and
marched down to the end of the garden. He had six
attendants with him, each of whom carried a
lighted torch at the end of a
long pole.
It was certainly a magnificent display.
Whizz! Whizz! went the Catherine Wheel, as
she spun round and
round. Boom! Boom! went
the Roman Candle. Then the Squibs
danced all
over the place, and the Bengal Lights made
everything look
scarlet.
tiny blue
sparks. Bang! Bang! answered the Crackers, who
were
enjoying themselves immensely. Every one
was a great success except
the Remarkable
Rocket. He was so damp with crying that he could
not
go off at all. The best thing in him was
the gunpowder, and that was so
wet with tears
that it was of no use. All his poor relations, to
whom he
would never speak, except with a
sneer, shot up into the sky like
wonderful
golden flowers with blossoms of fire. Huzza!
Huzza! cried
42
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
the Court; and the
little Princess laughed with pleasure.
Rocket;
than ever.
The next day
the workmen came to put everything tidy.
evidently a deputation,
becoming
dignity
severely as if he were thinking about
some very important subject. But
they took no
notice of him at all till they were just going
away. Then one
of them caught sight of him.
he threw him over the wall into the ditch.
GRAND sound very much the same,
indeed they often are the same
he fell into the
mud.
fashionable watering-place, and
they have sent me away to recruit my
health.
My nerves are certainly very much shattered, and I
require rest.
30
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Then a little Frog, with bright jewelled eyes, and
a green mottled coat,
swam up to him.
like mud. Give me rainy weather and a ditch,
and I am quite happy. Do
you think it will be
a wet afternoon? I am sure I hope so, but the sky
is
quite blue and cloudless. What a pity!
quite like a croak, and croaking is of
course the most musical sound in the
world.
You will hear our glee-club this evening. We sit
in the old duck
pond close by the farmer's
house, and as soon as the moon rises we begin.
It is so entrancing that everybody lies awake
to listen to us. In fact, it
was only
yesterday that I heard the farmer's wife say to
her mother that
she could not get a wink of
sleep at night on account of us. It is most
43
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
gratifying to find
oneself so popular.
that he could not
get a word in.
come over to the duck-
pond. I am off to look for my daughters. I have
six beautiful daughters, and I am so afraid
the Pike may meet them. He
is a perfect
monster, and would have no hesitation in
breakfasting off them.
Well, good-bye: I have
enjoyed our conversation very much, I assure
you.
time yourself. That is not
conversation.
talking myself. It saves
time, and prevents arguments.
vulgar, for everybody in good society holds
exactly the same opinions.
Good-bye a second
time; I see my daughters in the distance and the
little
Frog swam away.
I hate
people who talk about themselves, as you do, when
one wants to
talk about oneself, as I do. It
is what I call selfishness, and selfishness is
a most detestable thing, especially to any one
of my temperament, for I am
well known for my
sympathetic nature. In fact, you should take
example
by me; you could not possibly have a
better model. Now that you have
the chance
you had better avail yourself of it, for I am
going back to Court
almost immediately. I am
a great favourite at Court; in fact, the Prince
and Princess were married yesterday in my
honour. Of course you know
nothing of these
matters, for you are a provincial.
31
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on the top of a large brown bulrush;
away.
44
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
going to stop talking
to him merely because he pays no attention. I like
hearing myself talk. It is one of my greatest
pleasures. I often have
long conversations
all by myself, and I am so clever that sometimes I
don't
understand a single word of what I am
saying.
fly; and he spread a pair of
lovely gauze wings and soared away into the
sky.
that he has not often got
such a chance of improving his mind. However, I
don't care a bit. Genius like mine is sure to
be appreciated some day
and he sank down a
little deeper into the mud.
After some
time a large White Duck swam up to him. She had
yellow legs, and webbed feet, and was
considered a great beauty on
account of her
waddle.
May I ask were you born like
that, or is it the result of an accident?
answered the Rocket,
excuse your
ignorance. It would be unfair to expect other
people to be as
remarkable as oneself. You
will no doubt be surprised to hear that I can
fly up into the sky, and come down in a shower
of golden rain.
is to any one. Now, if
you could plough the fields like the ox, or draw a
cart like the horse, or look after the sheep
like the collie-dog, that would
be
something.
never useful. We have
certain accomplishments, and that is more than
sufficient. I have no sympathy myself with
industry of any kind, least of
all with such
industries as you seem to recommend. Indeed, I
have
always been of opinion that hard work is
simply the refuge of people who
have nothing
whatever to do.
45
The Happy
Prince and Other Tales
and never
quarrelled with any one,
hope, at any rate,
that you are going to take up your residence
here.
32
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distinguished visitor. The fact is that I
find this place rather tedious.
There is
neither society here, nor solitude. In
fact, it is essentially
suburban. I shall
probably go back to Court, for I know that I am
destined to make a sensation in the world.
Duck;
chair at a meeting some time ago,
and we passed resolutions condemning
everything that we did not like. However, they
did not seem to have
much effect. Now I go in
for domesticity, and look after my family.
relations, even the humblest of them. Whenever
we appear we excite
great attention. I have
not actually appeared myself, but when I do so it
will be a magnificent sight. As for
domesticity, it ages one rapidly, and
distracts one's mind from higher things.
that reminds me how hungry I feel
stream,
saying,
say to you
has gone,
and
he sank a little deeper still into the mud, and
began to think about the
loneliness of
genius, when suddenly two little boys in white
smocks came
running down the bank, with a
kettle and some faggots.
very
dignified.
it came here
The Happy Prince and Other Tales
what he
said. Gold Stick is very complimentary. In fact,
he mistakes
me for one of the Court
dignitaries!
kettle.
So they
piled the faggots together, and put the Rocket on
top, and lit
the fire.
broad
day-light, so that every one can see me.
will be boiled
The Rocket was very
damp, so he took a long time to burn. At last,
however, the fire caught him.
straight.
the moon, much higher than the
sun. In fact, I shall go so high that -
33
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Fizz! Fizz! Fizz! and he went straight up into the
air.
success I am!
But nobody
saw him.
Then he began to feel a curious
tingling sensation all over him.
on
fire, and make such a noise that nobody will talk
about anything else
for a whole year.
went
the gunpowder. There was no doubt about it.
But nobody heard him, not even the two little
boys, for they were
sound asleep.
Then all that was left of him was the stick, and
this fell down on the
back of a Goose who was
taking a walk by the side of the ditch.
rushed into the water.
went out.
The Happy Prince and Other Tales
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