The Happy Prince and Other Tales

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In a town filled with suffering and poverty, a swallow left behind by his flock encounters the statue of the Happy Prince, who has never known true sorrow, having lived in a palace where pain is absent. Observing the hardships faced by the townspeople from his lofty perch, the Happy Prince implores the swallow to take the ruby from his hilt, the sapphires from his eyes, and the gold leaf that adorns him to aid the poor. As winter descends and the Happy Prince is stripped of his beauty, his heart, made of lead, shatters when the swallow dies from the cold after selflessly helping others. The statue is ultimately removed and melted down, leaving behind the broken heart and the lifeless swallow, which are discarded. However, an angel recognizes their worth and carries them to heaven, where they are deemed the most precious treasures of the city, affirmed by God, and they find eternal life in His city of gold and paradise garden.