Five Tales

Előszó

1 The Happy Prince The Happy Prince was a statue*. He stood very high above the city where everyone could see him. He was covered all over with leaves of gold. His eyes were two diamonds, and a large red ruby* shone on the top of his sword. Everyone in the city enjoyed looking at him. 'He is very 5 beautiful,' people said to each other. 'But he's not very useful, is he?' 'Why can't you be like the Happy Prince?' mothers said to their children if they cried. 'The Happy Prince never cries about anything.' 10 Tm glad there is someone in the world who is quite happy,' said an angry old man, as he looked at the wonderful statue. 'He looks just like an angel*,' said the school-children as they came out of church. 'How do you know?' asked one of the school-masters. 15 'You have never seen one.' 'Ali, but we have in our dreams,' answered the children. The master looked angry, because he did not like children to dream too much. The little bírd One night a little bird flew over the city. His friends had 20 gone away to Egypt six weeks before, but he had stayed behind. He was in love with a beautiful water flower. He met her early in the spring, when he was flying down the river chasing a big yellow insect. He stopped to talk to her, but of course she could not answer him. After a while he grew tired 25 of her, and decided to follow his friends to Egypt. *statue, likeness of a person made of wood or stone. *ruby, a precious jewel. *angel, messenger from God (usually shown in pictures as a man with white wings). Vissza