All day long he flew,and at night he arrived in the city.
"Where can I stay?" he asked himself. "I hope I can find somewhere nice to sleep."
It was then that he saw the statue of the happy Prince.
"I will stay there," he said.
"It is a good place,with plenty of fresh air."
So he landed just between the feet of the Happy Prince.
"I have a golden bedroom,"he said softly to himself as he looked around.
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.
"What a strange thing!" he said.
"There is not a single cloud in the sky,and the stars are quite clear and bright,and yet it is raining.
The weather in the north of Europe is really awful.
The reed used to like the rain,but that was only because she was selfish.
Then another drop fell.
Then anther drop fell.
"What is the use of a statue if it cannot keep the rain off me?"he said.
"I must look for a better place to stay," and he decide to fly away.
But before he had opened his wings,a third drop fell.
When he looked up ,he saw-Ah! What did he see?
The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears,
and tears were running down his golden face.
His face was so beautiful in the moonlight that the little Swallow was filled with pity.
"Who are you?" he said.
"I am the Happy Prince."
"Why are you crying then?" asked the Swallow,"You are getting me wet."
"When I was alive and had a human heart,I did not know what tears were,"
answered the statue.
"Back then I lived in the palace,where sadness is not allowed to enter.
In the daytime I played with my friends in the garden,and in the evening we danced in the Great Hall.
All around the garden there was a very high wall ,but I never cared to ask what was beyond it.
because everything around me was so beautiful.
My friends all called me the Happy Prince,
and indeed I was very happy ,if pleasure is happiness.
So I lived,and so I died.
And now that I am dead,they have put me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the sadness of my city.
Even though my hearts is made of iron,I cannot stop myself from crying."
"Is he not made of gold on the inside as well?" said the Swallow to himself.
He was too polite to ask the prince directly.
The Prince continued speaking.
"Far,far away,there is a poor house in a little street.
One of the windows is open,and through it I can see a woman sitting at a table.
Her face looks old and tired,and her hands are rough and red from sewing all day long.
She is sewing a beautiful dress for the Queen's next dance.
In the corner of the room,her little boy is lying sick in bed.
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 please bring her the ruby from my sword?
My feet are nailed to this column and I cannot move."
"I have friends waiting for me in Egypt," said the Swallow.
"They are flying up and down the Nile River,
and they will all be expecting me to meet them there soon."
"Swallow,Swallow,little Swallow,"said the Prince,"
will you please stay with me for one more night,and take my ruby to the woman?
The boy is so thirsty,and his mother is so sad."
"I don't think I like boys,"answered the Swallow.
"Last summer,when I was staying on the river,there were two boys there.
They were very rude,and were always throwing stones at me.
They never hit me,of course,because I was too fast for them.
Still,it was a very rude thing for them to do."
But the happy Prince looked so sad that the little Swallow felt sorry for him.
"It is very cold here,"he said.
"Still,I will stay with you for on night,and bring your ruby to the woman."
"Thank you,little Swallow,"said the Prince.
So the Swallow pulled out the great ruby from the Prince's sword,and flew away with it in his beak over the roofs of the town.