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Many
years ago, I came across a very touching story by Oscar Wilde. My
Christmas column and gift to you is a literary condensation of
that story. Wilde writes about two characters: a statue called
the Happy Prince and a little bird—a swallow. They met late
one cold winter European night. The swallow was six weeks late in
leaving for warmer climes in Egypt. On his way south, he stopped
at the town over which the Happy Prince stood and decided to
sleep at the statue’s feet.
As the swallow settled
down to go to sleep, it started to rain. While getting ready to
find a drier place to sleep, he noticed that it wasn’t rain
falling upon him but tears shed by the Happy Prince.
The stunned swallow
asked, "Who are you?"
"I am the Happy
Prince," said the statue. However, the statue wasn’t
happy, because he saw much misery and poverty within the city.
"I see a woman
seated at a table. Her face is thin and worn and she has coarse
red hands all pricked by needles for she is a seamstress. And in
a bed in the corner of the room, her little boy is lying ill. He
has a fever. The little boy is crying for oranges, and all that
the mother can give him is mere river water. Swallow, swallow,
little swallow, will you not stay with me for one night and be my
messenger?"
So, the swallow took
the great red ruby from the Happy Prince’s sword and off he
flew to the poor seamstress and to her ill son. Returning from
his mission, the swallow experienced a curious warmth though the
night was very cold.
The next day, the
swallow readied himself for his flight to Egypt, but the Happy
Prince implored him to stay, "Swallow, swallow, little
swallow, will you not stay with me one night longer? There is a
young man, a writer, who is poor and cannot write for he has no
heat in his room. Swallow, take one of my eyes—they are rare
sapphires—and carry it to the poor man." The swallow
did as he was instructed and returned, and again he experienced
that same warmth.
The next day, the
swallow said good-bye to the Happy Prince, but the statue
responded, "Swallow, swallow, little swallow, will you not
stay with me one night longer? There stands in this city a little
matchgirl who has a mean father who beats her because she
doesn’t bring in enough money from selling matches. She has
no shoes, nor stockings, nor hat. Take my other eye and give it
to her." The swallow did as he was commanded. However, upon
his return, he said to the prince, "You are blind now. I
will stay with you always."
"No little
swallow. You must go away to Egypt or else you will surely die
here in the winter weather."
However the swallow
stayed and became the Prince’s eyes. The swallow would
report cases of need to the statue. The Happy Prince would order
him to remove his gold-leafed skin and to distribute it to those
in need. After many trips, the Happy Prince looked quite dull.
At last, the swallow
said good-bye to the Prince who said, "I am glad that you
are finally going to Egypt, little swallow. You have stayed here
too long."
The swallow’s
responded, "It is not to Egypt that I am going. I am going
to the House of Death. Death is a brother of sleep, is he
not?" Then he kissed the Happy Prince and fell dead at his
feet. At that moment, a curious crack sounded deep inside the
statue. The leaden heart of the Happy Prince had snapped into two
pieces.
The next morning, the
town fathers decided to melt down the statue of the Happy Prince
because of its unpleasant appearance. However, a strange thing
occurred at the foundry. The statue’s broken heart would not
melt. Therefore, it was thrown away and came to rest next to the
dead swallow.
God, who had watched
this story unfold from heaven, told an angel to bring back the
two most precious things from that city where the Happy Prince
once stood. When the angel returned, it brought back the leaden
heart and the dead swallow.
God said to the angel,
"You have rightly chosen. For in my garden of paradise this
little bird shall sing songs forevermore. And in my city of gold,
the Happy Prince will praise my name."
May you be warmed by
this story as you show acts of kindness to those in need. Merry
Christmas to one and all.
This article first appeared in the Dixon Telegraph.
Copyright© 1996-2007 Wolverton Mountain Enterprises. |
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