The statue of the Happy Prince stands tall above the city – a tall stone pillar. www.biquge.info He was covered with thin gold leaves, his eyes were made of bright sapphires, and a large and shining red gem was embedded in the hilt of his sword.

The world is truly envious of him. "He's as pretty as a weather vane," said one city senator who wanted to show that he had artistic taste, and then added that he was strangely pragmatic for fear that people would see him as impractical, "just not as practical as a weather vane." ”

"Why can't you be like the Happy Prince?" A wise mother said to her little boy who cried out for the moon, "The Happy Prince never dreamed of crying for something. ”

"I'm glad there are people in the world who are so happy. A frustrated man muttered as he stared at the remarkable statue.

"He looks like an angel. Said the children at the orphanage. They were coming out of the church, cloaks of bright red and white bibs on their chests.

"How do you know?" The math teacher asked, "You haven't seen an angel again." ”

"But we've seen it, we've seen it in a dream. The children replied. The math teacher frowned and grimaced because he disapproved of children dreaming.

One night, a small swallow flew over the city. His friends had flown to Egypt six weeks earlier, but he had stayed behind because he was so fond of the beautiful Miss Reed. He met her in early spring, when he was chasing a large yellow moth down the river. Fascinated by her slender waist, he stopped to speak to her.

"Can I love you?" Swallow asked, he liked to get to the point at once. The reed bent bent down to him, and he flew round and round around her, caressing the water with his wings, causing silver ripples. This is the way Swallow courted, and he went on like this all summer.

"It's ridiculous," said the other swallows, laughing, "that she has no money, and she has so many relatives." "Indeed, the river is full of reeds.

When autumn arrives, the swallows fly away.

After the group left, he felt lonely and began to hate his lover. "She can't speak," he said, "and besides, I'm afraid she's a slut, you see she's always flirting." "It is true, as soon as the wind blows, the reed makes the most graceful curtsy. "I admit that she is a family person," Swallow continued, "but I love to travel, and my wife, of course, loves to travel." ”

"Will you come with me?" He finally asked. However, Reed shook her head, she was too reluctant to give up her home.

"So you're joking with me," he yelled, "I'm going to the pyramids, goodbye!" With that, he flew away.

He flew all day, and came to the city at night. "Where am I going to spend the night?" "I hope the city is ready," he said. ”

At this time, he saw the statue on the tall column.

"I just spent the night there," he exclaimed, "and it was a nice place, full of fresh air." So he landed between the feet of the Happy Prince.

"I have a bedroom made of gold," he whispered to himself as he looked around, and got ready to sleep. But just as he put his head under his wings, a large droplet of water fell on him. "It's incredible!" "There is not a cloud in the sky," he cried, "and the stars are clear and bright, but it is raining." The weather in Northern Europe is really terrible. Reed loves rain, but that's just her selfishness. ”

Then another drop fell.

"What's the use of a statue that can't even keep out the rain?" "I'm going to have to find a good chimney to nest," he said. "He decided to fly away.

But before he could spread his wings, the third drop of water fell, and he looked up, and saw—ah! what did he see?

The Happy Prince's eyes were filled with tears, and tears flowed down his golden cheeks. The prince's face was beautiful in the moonlight, and the little swallow felt pity.

"Who are you?" He asked the other party.

"I am the Happy Prince. ”

"Then why are you crying?" Swallow asked again, "You got my body wet." ”

"I didn't know what tears were, when I had a heart," the statue began, "for I lived in the palace of the king, which was a place of sorrow. During the day, people play with me in the garden, and at night I lead the dance in the hall. There was a high fence along the garden, but I never thought there was anything on the other side of the fence, everything around me was so beautiful. My servants call me the Happy Prince, and indeed, if pleasure is pleasure, then I am very happy. I just lived and died. And now that I am dead, they have set me so high here that I can see all the ugliness and poverty of my city, and I cannot help but weep even though my heart is made of lead. ”

"Ah, isn't he a golden statue of stone?" Swallow said to herself. He is very polite and does not want to talk loudly about other people's private affairs.

"In the distance," the statue continued in a low, melodious voice, "in the distance there lived a poor family in a small street. A window was open, and through the window I could see a woman sitting at a table. Her thin face was covered with weariness, and her rough, red hands were full of needle holes, for she was a seamstress. She was embroidering a satin garment with passionflowers, which the empress's favorite maid was going to wear at her next court ball. On a bed in the corner of the room lay her sick child. The child had a fever and was clamoring to eat oranges. His mother had nothing but to feed him a few mouthfuls of river water, so the child kept crying. Swallow, swallow, little swallow, will you take the ruby from the hilt of my sword and give it to her? ”

"Companions are waiting for me in Egypt," said the swallow, "and they are flying up and down the Nile, talking with the great lotus, and soon they will spend the night in the tomb of the great pharaoh." Pharaoh himself slept in his own colored coffin. His body was wrapped in yellow linen and filled with antiseptic spices. He wore a light green emerald necklace around his neck, and his hands looked like withered leaves. ”

"Swallow, swallow, little swallow," said the prince again, "will you not spend the night with me, and be my messenger? ”

"I don't think I like children," replied Swallow, "and I went to a river last summer, and there were two naughty children, the miller's son, who were always throwing stones at me. Of course, they never want to hit me, how fast our swallows fly, and besides, I come from a family that is known for its speed; Either way, it's rude. ”

But the sad face of the happy prince made Little Swallow's heart very uncomfortable. "It's too cold here," he said, "but I'm willing to spend the night with you, and be your messenger." ”

"Thank you, Little Swallow. The prince said.

So the swallow took the great ruby from the prince's sword, latched it in his beak, and flew over the roofs of the city into the distance.

He flew over the top of the cathedral tower and saw the angel carved in white marble. He flew over the palace and heard the sound of dancing songs. A beautiful girl walked onto the rooftop with her sweetheart. "What a wonderful star," he said to her, "what a wonderful love!"

"I want my clothes to be made on time for the grand ball," she replied, "and I have asked for passionflower embroidery, but the seamstresses are too good." ”

He flew across the river and saw countless lanterns hanging high on the mast of the ship. He flew over the ghetto and saw the old Jews haggling with each other and weighing their coins on a copper scale. At last he came to the poor man's house and looked inside. The child with a fever is tossing and turning in bed, and the mother is already asleep because she is too tired. He jumped into the room and placed the great ruby on the table beside the woman's thimble. Then he flew gently around the bed, flapping his wings on the child's forehead. "I feel so cool," said the child, "I must be getting better." After saying that, he fell into a sweet sleep.

Then, Swallow returns to the Happy Prince and tells him everything he has done. "It's not strange," he continued, "that though it's cold, I'm feeling so warm now." ”

"That's because you've done a good deed. The prince said. So the little swallow began to think about the prince's words, but it was not long before she fell asleep. For him, when he thinks about problems, he always wants to sleep.

At dawn he flew down to the river to take a bath. "It's unbelievable," said a professor of bird and aviology as he walked across the bridge, "and there are swallows in winter!" So he wrote a long letter to the local newspaper about it. Everyone quoted the words of his letter, even though many of the words in the letter were incomprehensible.

"Tonight I will go to Egypt. "Swallow said that when he thinks of the distance, he is full of energy. He visited all the public monuments in the city and sat on the top of the church for a while. Everywhere they went, the sparrows squeaked to each other and said, "What a rare guest!" So he had a great time.

When the moon rose, he flew back to the Happy Prince. "Do you have anything to do in Egypt?" He asked in a loud voice, "I'm about to go." ”

"Swallow, swallow, little swallow," said the prince, "will you spend the night with me one more?"

Companions are waiting for me in Egypt," replied the swallow, "and to-morrow my friends will fly to the Second Fall, where the hippos spend the night among the papyrus." The ancient Egyptian god Memnon sat on a huge granite throne and watched the stars all night, crying out cheerfully whenever the stars twinkled, and then falling silent. At noon, the yellow lions descend to the river to drink, their eyes like green gems, and their roars are louder than the roar of the waterfall. ”

"Swallow, swallow, little swallow," said the prince, "and far away on the other side of the city, I saw a young man who lived in the attic. He was immersed in his work on a paper-covered desk, and a bouquet of dried violets sat in a glass next to him. He had curly brown hair, lips as red as pomegranates, and large, sleepy eyes. He's trying to write a script for the theater manager, but he's too cold to write. There was no firewood in the fireplace, and hunger made him dizzy. ”

"I'm willing to spend another night with you," said Swallow, who did have a kind heart. "Shall I give him another ruby?"

"Alas, I don't have any rubies now. "All that remains is my eyes," said the prince. They are made of rare sapphires that were harvested from India many years ago. Take one out and give it to him. He would sell it to jewelers so he could buy back food and firewood to complete the script he had written. ”

"My dear prince," said the swallow, "I cannot do this. Then he began to cry.

"Swallow, swallow, little swallow," said the prince, "just do as I say." ”

So the swallow took off one of the prince's eyes and flew towards the attic where the students lived. Since there is a hole in the roof, it is easy for swallows to get in. So the swallow passed through the hole and came into the house. The young man covered his face with his hands, and did not hear the flapping of the swallow's wings, and when he looked up, he saw the beautiful sapphire on top of the dry violet.

"I'm starting to be admired," he cried, "it must have been sent by someone who admired me so much." Now I can finish my script. He had a happy smile on his face.

The next day the swallow flew to the harbor below, where he sat on the mast of a struck ship and watched as the sailors dragged the big boxes out of the hold with ropes. With them hey! hey!" The sound of the trumpet, one by one large boxes were dragged up. "I'm going to Egypt!" Swallow said slightly, but no one paid attention to him. When the moon had risen, he flew back to the Happy Prince.

"I'm here to say goodbye to you. He cried out.

"Swallow, swallow, little swallow," said the prince, "will you not spend the night with me again?"

"Winter is coming," replied the swallow, "and the cold snow is coming." In Egypt, the sun was warm on the green brown trees, and crocodiles were lazily looking around in the mud. My friends were building their nests in the temple of the ancient city of Balbec, and the pink and silver pigeons were talking to each other as they watched them work. Dear Prince, I am compelled to leave you, but I will never forget you, and next spring I will bring back to you two beautiful gems to make up for the loss of Nasi that you have lost by giving them to others, and the ruby will be redder than a red rose, and the sapphires bluer than the sea. ”

"In the square below," said the Happy Prince, "stood a little girl selling matches. Her matches had fallen in the gutter, and they were no longer working. If she didn't bring the money home, her father would beat her, and she was crying. She wore neither shoes nor socks, and nothing on her head. Please take my other eye off and send it to her so her father won't beat her. ”

"I will spend another night with you," said the swallow, "but I cannot take your eyes off, or you will be blind." ”

"Swallow, swallow, little swallow," said the prince, "just do as I say." ”

So he took off the prince's other eyeball and flew down with it. He landed in front of the little girl and quietly placed the gem in the palm of her hand. "What a beautiful piece of glass!" The little girl cried out, and she ran towards the house laughing.

At this time, the swallow returned to the prince. "You are blind now," said the swallow, "and I will be with you forever." ”

"No, little swallow," said the poor prince, "you have to go to Egypt." ”

"I'm going to be with you all the time. So saying, the swallow slept at the prince's feet.

The next day he sat on the prince's shoulder all day and told him what he had seen and heard and what he had experienced in a foreign land. He also told the prince about the red ibises that stood in long rows on the banks of the Nile, and used their pointed beaks to catch goldfish; and the Sphinx, which is as old as the world, and who lives in the desert, and who knows everything in the world; He told the merchants of New York, who walked slowly with his caravan, and touched the rosary made by the wolf in his hand; He spoke of the king of the Moon Hill, whose skin was as dark as ebony, and who worshipped a great crystal; He spoke of the big green snake that slept on the palm tree, and asked 20 monks to feed it with pastries made of honey; He also spoke of the dwarfs, who crossed the lake on large flat leaves, and who were at war with butterflies.

"My dear little swallow," said the prince, "you have told me many strange things, but even more strange are the sufferings of the men and women. There is nothing more incredible than suffering. Little Swallow, fly around my city and tell me what you see up there. ”

So the swallow flew over the city, and saw the rich people enjoying themselves in their beautiful houses, while the beggars sat at the gates and starved. He flew into the dark alley, and saw the hungry children looking listlessly at the dim street, and in the hole of a bridge, the two children hugged each other to warm each other. "We're so hungry!" They said. "You are not allowed to lie here," the guard sighed, and the two children staggered into the rain again.

Then he flew back and told the prince what he had seen.

"I am covered with fine pieces of gold," said the prince, "and you take them down piece by piece, and send them to my poor people." The living believe that gold will make them happy. ”

The swallow pecked off the golden leaves of the foot red one by one, until the Happy Prince became gray. He gave them to the poor one by one, and the children's faces flushed, and they played games with joy in the streets. "We have bread now!" The children shouted.

Then it snowed, and after the snow, it was bitterly cold. The streets looked white, as if they were made of silver, bright and dazzling; Long icicles hung like swords made of crystal under the eaves. Everyone put on leather jackets, and the children put on red hats to go ice skating outside.

Poor little swallow felt colder and colder, but he did not want to leave the prince, who he loved too much. He had no choice but to get some crumbs from the bakery's door to satisfy his hunger when the baker was not looking, and flapped his wings to keep himself warm.

Eventually, however, he knew he was dying. All he had left was enough to fly to the prince's shoulder one more time. "Farewell, dear prince!" He muttered, "Will I kiss your hand?"

"I'm glad you're at last on your way to Egypt, little swallow," said the prince, "and you've been here too long. But you have to kiss my lips, because I love you. ”

"I'm not going to Egypt," said the swallow, "I'm going to the House of the Dead." Death is the brother of eternal sleep, isn't it?"

Then he kissed the Happy Prince on the lips, and then he fell at the prince's feet and died.

At this moment, a strange popping sound came out of the statue's body, as if something was broken. In fact, the prince's heart made of lead had been split in half. It was indeed a terrible cold winter day.

Early the next morning, the mayor was accompanied by the city senators for a walk to the square below. As they walked past the column, the mayor looked up at the statue and said, "Oh my God! He said.

"It's ugly!" The city senators shouted in unison, and they usually spoke to the mayor. After speaking, everyone stepped forward to take a closer look.

"The ruby on the hilt of his sword has fallen off, the sapphire eyes are gone, and he is no longer gold," said the mayor, "and in fact he is not much stronger than a beggar who begs for food!"

"It's not much better than asking for food. The city senators chimed in.

"And there's a dead bird lying at his feet!" The mayor continued, "We should really issue a statement prohibiting birds from dying in this place. So the city clerk put the suggestion on note.

Later, they knocked down the statue of the Happy Prince. "Since he is no longer beautiful, he is no longer useful. Said the university's art professor.

Then they melted the statue in the furnace, and the mayor called a municipal meeting to decide what to do with the metal, and of course, we had to cast another statue. He said, "That's supposed to be my statue." ”

"My statue. "Every city senator was arguing, and they were arguing. The last time I heard people talk about them, their bickering was still unfinished.

"What a strange thing!" The foreman of the foundry said, "This cracked lead core will not melt in the furnace." We had to throw it away. So they threw it in the garbage, and the dead swallow lay there.

"Bring me two of the most precious things in the city. God said to one of his angels. So the angel brought back to God the lead heart and the dead bird.

"Thy choice is great," said God, "for in my garden of heaven the birds can sing forever, and in my golden castle the happy prince can praise me to the fullest." ”