English Original (Excerpt)
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.
A little Swallow, who had been delayed on his journey to Egypt, took shelter under the statue. Moved by the Prince’s tears, he stayed to help the poor.
“Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow,” said the Prince, “will you not take the ruby out of my sword-hilt and give it to that poor woman?” And so the Swallow carried the ruby, then the sapphires, then every leaf of gold, until the Prince was grey and weather-beaten, and the Swallow lay dead at his feet from the cold.
When spring came, God said: “In my garden of Paradise, the two most precious things are the leaden heart of the Happy Prince and the dead Swallow.”