"Swallow, swallow, little swallow, there is one more thing I would like you to do. Not far away a poor
student lives. He
is so poor that he cannot concentrate on his work. He works all day and every day to warm his room and to gain something to eat. He writes at night to finish a play for the Director of the Theatre, but he is too cold and exhausted to write any more, and hunger has made him faint. Swallow, my friend, I still have one diamond eye. Take it and leave it in his flat."
"But, Happy Prince, if I do not fly now, I will freeze over. My friends are in distant Egypt now and they are waiting for me. They will miss me and they will even worry about me." Saying these words, the little swallow felt sad, as he
thought about the poor
student. He also thought about the Prince''s kindness and he said:
"Happy Prince, if you give your eye you will go blind. You will not be able to see anything any more."
"Do as I ask you, my friend", was the only reply from the statue.
Therefore, the swallow plucked out the eye and took it to the student''s room. When the student woke up, he was happy to see the diamond.
"I can study now, can eat and can keep my flat warm", he thought.
The next day the swallow flew to the statue. The Happy Prince, who was blind now, heard the beat of the bird''s heart and said silently:
"Swallow, swallow, little swallow, and thank you for all you have done. It is a fine day today, I feel; you may go to warmer climes. I would like to bid you good-bye."
"No, dear Prince, I shall stay with you till the end of my life. Now I am frail and I know I will die soon. Let me stay here and die next to you."
The Happy Prince cried bitterly
At night, the little swallow told him about everything ha had seen in his life: strange lands, long rivers, hot deserts, high mountains, green snakes, flat leaves, and gay butterflies.
"My dear swallow", said the Happy Prince, "you tell me about marvelous things, but there are things which are still more important in life. I have seen rich and poor people, those enjoying their lives and those trembling with cold and fear; those spending their time on empty pursuits and those suffering from hunger; you see, I am covered with fine gold. You must take it off, leaf after leaf, and take it to my poor. Do as I desire, dear swallow."
In addition, the little swallow gave the Prince''s gold to them. The statue became grey and ugly. People stopped to look at it now. "How awful the Happy Prince is now", they said to each other. "It would be better to remove the statue altogether."
One-day winter came; it was snowing and strong wind was blowing. Poor little swallow froze over. Moreover, when the Happy Prince could not hear him breathe, his heart broke in two.
Next morning people found the cracked statue, the leaden heart, and a little bird near it. They removed them all from the square.
There are still precious things in the world. In addition, you, do you know the two most precious of them all.