A Gift of the Happy Prince

A Gift of the Happy Prince

A compassionate heart crossing over the sky.

Cast

Happy Prince: Kathrina Griebel
Swallow: Chisa Sasuga


Act I

In a certain city, there stood a statue called the Happy Prince. When no one was around, the Prince loved to sing to himself, looking out over the city.

“Emeralds for eyes and a ruby on the sword
Leaden heart hidden beneath the leaves of fine gold
Townsfolk say my beauty’s unmatched
It’s a pleasure to know I’m everyone’s pride ♪”

Drawn in by this melody, a Swallow descended from the sky looking for a place to rest.

“Nice to meet you, my Prince. Do you mind if I take a nap here?”

The Prince nodded graciously.

“Please, do make yourself comfortable. People of this city take good care of me, so no stray cat or cunning snake dares to come here. You may sleep with a peaceful mind.”

The Swallow settled on the Prince’s chest and explained that he was a migratory bird.

“I’ll be traveling to the south before the winter comes.”

The Prince replied smiling joyously, “Well, we shall be friends until then.”

And he shared with the Swallow his story.

“In the past, I used to be a prince of this country. Although my life was short, it was a happy one. People erected this statue, so they wouldn’t forget me.”

The Swallow asked curiously, “But how comes the statue can talk?”

“Because my soul remains inside. I wanted to watch over the well-being of this city forever, so I made a prayer to God.”

And turning his gaze full of gratitude back to the city, the Prince began to sing again. The Swallow flew down and rested his wings at the Prince’s feet.


Act II

Several days passed by.

Suddenly large drops of water started falling from above, taking the Swallow by surprise. As he looked up, he saw that the eyes of the Prince were filled with tears.

“My Prince, why are you crying?”

“Ah, dear Swallow, look over there…”

The Swallow followed the Prince’s gaze and saw people asking for food.

“I never knew the people of my country suffered from hunger so much. What kind of prince am I then?”

And the Prince asked the Swallow,

“Will you not be so kind as to listen to my request? My feet are fastened to this pedestal and I cannot move. Will you not bring the people in need a gift from me?”

The Swallow gladly agreed, as he was eager to show the Prince his gratitude for providing him with a place to rest.

“Could you deliver the ruby out of my sword-hilt to the mother of a very sick child?”

“Consider it as good as done!”

With those words, the Swallow flew away holding the ruby in his beak. When he returned, the Prince made another request to him.

“My eyes are made of emeralds. Pluck out one of them and take it to the starving young playwright. Then pluck out the other one and give it to the little girl sitting in the square below.”

The Swallow was startled by the words of the Prince.

“Hold on, my Prince, if I did that, you would be blind then!”

“That’s fine. The happiness of the people of this city is much more important than my own. You are my partner, so, please, support me.”

The Swallow did as the Prince commanded him and flew away with the emeralds in his beak.

When he returned, he said to the Prince, “The girl was very happy indeed!”

The Prince, who had now lost his eyes and couldn’t see anything, nodded contentedly, delighted by the Swallow’s words.


Act III

A long time had passed since then, and the winter was drawing near.

The Prince asked the Swallow who continued to live at his feet,

“Dear Swallow, shouldn’t it be almost winter? I can feel neither coolness nor warmth. I have no eyes, so the change of seasons remains unknown to me… You should leave for the southern islands, before the winter arrives.”

Perching on the Prince’s shoulder as usual, the Swallow replied,

“No, the winter hasn’t come yet. It will be a long time before I fly to the south. I’m your partner, my Prince. I’ll do anything to make you happy.”

The Prince rejoiced at those words.

“Is that so? Then I have one more favor to ask of you. I am covered with fine gold. Could you please give it to my poor?”

The Swallow did as the Prince commanded him. Leaf after leaf of fine gold he picked off and flew away to bring them to the poor.

“My Prince, I was always a lonely bird. You calling me a partner made me truly happy.”

And, cutting through the cold wind, he continued to fly with all his might.

“If I’m honest, breath of the winter has already reached the city. The snow started falling, and I have no strength left to fly to the south… So I’ll stay here and sleep beside you.”

With each passing day, the Swallow grew weaker and the Prince looked more shabby. And eventually, the city was covered with snow…


Act IV

One day, the Swallow woke up to find himself somewhere warm.

“My body feels light! I don’t feel any pain! It’s not freezing cold anymore!”

As he was joyfully flying around, he noticed the Prince waving at him. But the Prince was a statue no more, he was a real human being. Squinting his bright emerald eyes, the Prince put the Swallow on his shoulder and kissed him.

“I’m so sorry. It was already winter after all, wasn’t it? It was my fault for failing to notice.”

“Don’t say that, my Prince. I chose not to go to the south out of my own will, because I wanted to be with you.”

It was then that the Swallow realized he had lost his life and ascended to Heaven. The Prince gave him a warm smile and told him about what happened after he had drawn his last breath.

“My shabby statue was melted in a furnace. But my leaden heart would not melt. It was thrown away on the outskirts of the city where your cold body was also lying.”

“Oh, so that’s how it was.”

“But then, God found us and picked us up and brought us to Heaven together.”

Flying around the Prince, the Swallow exclaimed, “Then we can be together forever!”

“Of course. We are partners after all, aren’t we?”

The Swallow nodded cheerfully, “Yes, we are!”

A person and a bird were looking down on the city from high above the clouds. Together, they sang a happy song that the Prince used to sing alone.


Aftertalk

Chisa Sasuga:
“Emeralds for eyes, huh? It’s true that your eyes are of very beautiful color.”

Kathrina Griebel:
“You think so? In my country it’s rather common.”

Chisa Sasuga:
“Oh, then people there must have their bodies gilded with golden leaf, too?”

Kathrina Griebel:
“Of course not… Even if it was a costume, it would be scary to see someone like that.”

Chisa Sasuga:
“Just kidding.”

Kathrina Griebel:
“I can never tell, because you always say such things with a straight face.”

Chisa Sasuga:
“I was kind of hoping for that to be true though. After all, you also have beautiful golden hair.”

Kathrina Griebel:
“Gold is gold, but there are things that money can’t buy. However, receiving such compliments does make me happy.”

Edit
Pub: 10 Apr 2024 10:44 UTC
Edit: 11 Apr 2024 12:18 UTC
Views: 164