The Happy Prince

Oscar Wilde

NARRATOR: 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.
ONE OF THE TOWN COUNCILORS: “He is as beautiful as a weathercock, only not
quite so useful”.
MOTHER OF A LITTLE BOY: “Why can’t you be like the Happy Prince? The Happy
Prince never dreams of crying for anything.”
DISSAPOINTED MAN: “I am glad there is someone in the world who is quite
happy.”
CHARITY CHILDREN: “He looks like just an angel.”
MATHEMATICAL MASTER: “How do you know? You have never seen one.”
CHARITY CHILDREN: ”Ah! but we have, in our dreams.”

NARRATOR: One night there flew over the city a little swallow. His friends had
gone away to Egypt, but he stayed behind, for he was inlove with a reed.
SWALLOW: “Shall I love you.”
NARRATOR: He had been courting her, and it lasted all through summer.
OTHER SWALLOWS: “It is a ridiculous attachment, she has no money and far too
many relations.”
SWALLOW: “She has no conversation, and I am afraid that she is a coquette, for
she is always flirting with the wind. I admit that she is domestic, but I love
traveling, and my wife, consequently, should love travelling also.”
SWALLOW: “Will you come away with me?”
REED: “No, I am so attached to my home.”
SWALLOW: “You have been trifling with me, (cries) I am off to the pyramids.
Good-bye!”

NARRATOR: All day long he flew, then at night time he arrived at the city.
SWALLOW: “Where shall I put up? I hope the town made preparations.”
NARRATOR: Then he saw the statute on the tall column.
SWALLOW: “I will put up up there, (cries) it is a fine position with plenty of fresh
air. I have a golden bedroom!.”
SWALLOW: “What a curious thing! There is not a single cloud in the sky, the stars
are quite clear and bright, and yet it is raining. What is the use of the statue if it
cannot keep off the rain, I must look for a good chimney pot.”
NARRATOR: But before he had opened his wings, another drop fell, and he
looked up. The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with running tears.
SWALLOW: “Who are you?”
HAPPY PRINCE: “ I am the Happy Prince.”
SWALLOW: “ Why are you weeping then? You have quite drenched me.”
HAPPY PRINCE: “When I was alive I had human heart, I did not know what tears
were, for I lived in a palace where sorrow is not allowed to enter. My courtiers
called me Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness.
And now that I am dead, I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city,
and thought my heart is made of lead yet I cannot choose but to weep.”
SWALLOW: “What is he not solid gold?”
HAPPY PRINCE: “Far away in little street there is a poor house, I can see a woman
seated at a table. She is a seamtress, embroidering passion-flowers on a satin
gown. In a bed in the corner of the room her little boy is lying ill. He has a fever,
and 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?”
SWALLOW: “I am waited for in Egypt, my friends are flying up and down the Nile.
Soon they will sleep on the tomb of the great King.”
HAPPY PRINCE: “Swallow, swallow, little swallow, will you not stay with me for one
night and be my messenger? The boy is so thirsty, and the mother is so sad.”
SWALLOW: “ It is very cold here but I will stay with you for one night, and be your
messenger.”
NARRATOR: 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. At last he came to
the poor house. The boy was tossing feverishly on his bed, and the mother had
fallen asleep. In he hopped, and laid the great ruby on the table beside the
woman’s thimble. The swallow flew back to the Happy Prince.
SWALLOW: “It is curious, but I feel quite warm now, although it was so cold.”
HAPPY PRINCE: “That’s because you did something good.”
SWALLOW: “Tonight, I go in Egypt!”
HAPPY PRINCE: “Swallow, swallow, little swallow. Will you not stay with me one
night longer?”
SWALLOW: “But my prince, I am waited for in Egypt.”
HAPPY PRINCE: “ Swallow, swallow, little swallow. Far away across the city, I see a
young man on a garret. He is trying to finish a play for the director of theatre but
he is too cold to write anymore, he has no fire in the grate and hunger has
made him faint.”
SWALLOW:” I will wait with you one night longer, shall I take him another ruby?”
HAPPY PRINCE: “Alas! I have no ruby now. My eyes are all that I have left.”
SWALLOW: “Dear Prince, I cannot do that.” (he began to weep)
HAPPY PRINCE: “Swallow, swallow, little swallow, do as I command you.”
NARRATOR:So the swallow plucked out the Prince’s eye and flew away to the
students garret. Then he placed the sapphire beside the young man.
Young man:” I am beginning to be appreciated (cries) this is from some great
admirer. Now I can finish my play.” (looking quite happy)
NARRATOR: “The next day the Swallow flew down to the harbor. He sat on the
mast of a large vessel and watched the sailors.”
SWALLOW:” Heave a hoy! I am going to Egypt.” (cries)
NARRATOR: When the moon rose, he flew to the happy prince.
SWALLOW:” I come to bid you goodbye.”( cries)
HAPPY PRINCE:” Swallow, swallow, little swallow. Will you not stay with me one
night longer?”
SWALLOW: “It is the winter, and the chill snow will be soon here. 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.”
HAPPY PRINCE: “In the square below, there stands a little match girl, she has let
her matches fall in the gutter. her father will beat her if she does not bring home
some money.”
SWALLOW: “I will stay with you one night longer, but I cannot pluck out your eye.
You would be quite blind then.”
HAPPY PRINCE: “Swallow, swallow, little swallow, do as I command you.’
NARRATOR: So the swallow plucked out the prince’s other eye. He swooped
past the match girl and slipped the jewel into the palm of there hand.
LITTLE GIRL: “What a lovely bit of glass.”
NARRATOR: Cried the little girl and she ran home laughing. The swallow came
back to the prince.”
SWALLOW: “I will stay with you always.”
NARRATOR: The swallow slept at the prince’s feet. The next day the swallow sat
on the prince’s shoulder and told him stories of what he had seen on the strange
lands.
HAPPY PRINCE: “Dear little swallow, you tell me of marvelous things, but more
marvelous than anything is the suffering of men and women. There is no mystery
so great as misery. Fly over my city, little swallow and tell me what you see
there.”
NARRATOR: The swallow flew over to the great city and saw two little boys were
lying in one another’s arms to try and keep themselves warm.
TWO LITTLE BOYS: “How hungry we are.”
WATCHMAN: “You must not lie here.”
NARRATOR: The two little boys wandered out in the rain. The swallow flew back
and told the prince what he had seen.
HAPPY PRINCE: “I am covered in fine gold. You must take it off leaf by leaf, and
give it to the poor. The living always think that gold can make them happy.’
NARRATOR: Leaf after leaf, the happy prince looked quite dull and gray. The
swallow brought it to the poor boys and then laughed and played games in the
street.
TWO LITTLE BOYS: “We have bread now.”
NARRATOR: Then the snow came, and after snow came frost. The poor little
swallow grew colder and colder, but he would not leave the prince, he loved
him too well. But at last he knew he was going to die, He has just the strength to
fly upto the price’s shoulder.
SWALLOW: “Good bye dear prince, will you let me kiss your hand?”
HAPPY PRINCE: “I am glad that you are going to Egypt at last, little swallow. You
have stayed too long here, but you must kiss me on the lips for I love you.”
SWALLOW: “It is not to Egypt where I am going, I am going to the house of
death.”
NARRATOR: He kissed the happy prince on the lips, then he fell down at his feet.
At that moment a curious crack sounded inside the statue, as if something had
broken. Early at that morning the Mayor was walking in the square in company
with the town councilors.”
MAYOR: “Dear me! How shabby the happy prince looks.”
TOWN COUNCILORS: “How shabby indeed!”
MAYOR: ”The ruby has fallen out of his sword, his eyes are gone, and he is
golden no longer, in fact he is little better than a beggar.”
TOWN COUNCILORS: “Little than a beggar.”
MAYOR: “And there is actually a dead bird at his feet, we must really isuue a
proclaim that birds are not allowed to die here.”
NARRATOR: So they pulled down the statue of the happy prince, and melted the
statue in a furnace.
MAYOR: “We must have another statue, and it will be a statue of myself.”
WORKMAN: “What a strange thing! This broken lead heart will not melt in the
furnace, we must throw it away.”
GOD: “Bring me the two most precious things in the city.”
NARRATOR: Then the Angel brought him the bird and the leaden heart.
GOD: “You have rightly chosen, for in my garden of paradise this little bird shall
sing for evermore, and in my city of gold the Happy Prince shall praise me.”