The Happy Prince Class 9 English, Moments – Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings

A beautiful statue was installed on a tall column (Pillar) high above the city. It was the statue of Happy Prince. The statue was covered with thin layers of gold. It had two bright sapphires fixed in the eyes. A bright ruby stone was placed in the hilt (handle) of his sword. One night, a little swallow was going to Egypt arrived in the city. He was tired, so he decided to spend the night at the feet of the statue. He was going to sleep but disturbed by a large drop of water that fell on his head. The swallow was amazed as the sky was clear. When the second drop fell, he decided to fly away. But, when the third drop fell, he looked at the statue. He found that the statue was crying.

 

The swallow asked the statue, the reason behind his tears. The Statue of Happy Prince told the swallow that when he was alive, he did not know about miseries and sorrows. He lived a happy life. So, his courtiers called him the Happy Prince. However, now after his death, his statue was set up very high and he could see the misery, poverty and all the sadness that people face. The Prince told the swallow that he wanted to help the poor people but he couldn’t move. So, he requested the swallow to stay with him and help him to do so. The swallow agreed to help the Prince.

The Prince told the swallow that a poor seamstress lived in the city. She was embroidering flowers on a gown for the Queen’s loveliest maid of honour. By her side her little boy was lying ill and asking for oranges. But the poor woman did not have money. The Prince requested the swallow to pick out the ruby from his sword and give it to the seamstress. The swallow agreed and put the ruby beside the poor seamstress. He also fanned the sick boy’s forehead with its wings and left.

The swallow wanted to go Egypt but the Prince requested him to stay for another night. The Prince requested the Swallow to help the playwright. The young playwright was trying to finish his play for the Director of the theatre but he couldn’t do so. It was very cold to write anything and he was hungry which had made him faint. The Prince asked the swallow to pluck a sapphire and give it to the playwright who became happy after receiving it.

Next day, the swallow came to the Prince to say him good bye but the Prince again requested him to stay. The Prince told the swallow that a little matchstick girl was standing and crying in the square. Her matchsticks had fallen in the drain and were all spoiled. Her father would beat her if she failed to take home some money. The Happy Prince commanded the swallow to take another sapphire from his eye and give it to the poor girl. The swallow was not ready to do so because that would make the Prince completely blind, but the Prince forced him. The swallow put the sapphire into the little girl’s hand. When the little girl got the sapphire, she felt very happy. The Prince became blind now. So, the swallow decided to stay with the Prince.

The Prince asked the swallow to fly over his city and tell him what he saw there. The swallow informed the Prince that the poor were leading a miserable life. The Prince requested the swallow to take the gold leaf by leaf from his statue and give it to the poor. The swallow did the same as per the request and made people happy.

Now, the weather had become extremely cold. The swallow could not tolerate the cold weather. But the swallow didn’t leave the Prince. He tried to keep himself warm but was not able to do so. He soon realised that he was going to die. He requested the Prince to kiss on his hand, but the Prince told the swallow to kiss on his lips. After kissing the Prince’s lips, the swallow fell down and died. When the swallow died, the statue’s leaden heart broke into two pieces.

 

The Mayor of the city along with the town councillors visited the place. They found the statue to be ugly and useless as it was no longer beautiful. Hence, it was removed and sent to be melted. But the broken lead heart couldn’t be melted so it was thrown away. God sent one of his angles to bring him the two most precious things from the city. The Angel brought the leaden heart of the Happy Prince along with the dead swallow. The God praised the angel. He also stated that the swallow would sing forever in his garden of paradise and the Happy Prince would praise him forever in his City of Gold.

Extra Questions

(1) What made the Happy Prince send a ruby to the seamstress?

(2) How did the Swallow react when he saw the Happy Prince crying?

(3) What did the Happy Prince say to the swallow about his sending the sapphire to the playwright? How would it help him?

(4) Why did the swallow not leave the prince and go to Egypt?

(5) How did the Happy Prince react when the swallow told him about the poor and hungry children?

(6) How did the Mayor and the Town councillors describe the statue of the Happy Prince?

(7) What were the two most precious things according to the Angels? What did God do to them?

(8) What important thing did the Prince tell the swallow after the latter had decided to act the Prince’s eyes in his blindness?

(9) What was wrong with the seamstress’s little boy?

(10) Describe the suffering of the poor people in the city ? How did the Happy Prince help them?

(11) Give a character sketch of the Happy Prince?

(12) Describe the statue of the Happy prince as described in the beginning of the story?

(13) What happened when the little swallow was getting ready to sleep?

(14) What were the drops of the rain actually ? Why did they fall?

(15) Why was the Happy Prince not really happy?

(16) Why was the seamstress distressed?

(17) How did the Happy Prince help the seamstress?

(18) Why did the matchstick girl go home laughing?

(19) How did the Happy Prince help the poor children in the city?

(20) The swallow and the Prince were alike in many ways? Justify?

(21) How did Swallow prove to be the Happy Prince’s true friend?

(22) When and how did the Happy Prince realise the true meaning of life? What did this realisation prompt to do so?

(23) Where was swallow going? Why did he stop at the Prince’s statue?

(24) Why was the swallow hesitate to pluck out the sapphires from the Price’s statue?

(25) What did the swallow do at the harbour?

(26)  How did the Prince’s statue look after its gold leaf was removed ? What was its fate?

(27) How did the Happy Prince help the seamstress? What values in his character are brought out by his action?

(28) Goodness can never be destroyed? Justify this statement with reference to this lesson?

(29) Why could the Happy Prince not see the misery and ugliness of his city when he was alive?

Word Meaning
grate	metal frame of fireplace
playwright	person who writes dramas
flutter	flap wings quickly
vessel	ship
square	open area in a town
bare	without any cap or hat
swooped	flied down fast
misery	hardships
list	as if without life
scarlet	bright red
snapped	broken
proclamation	government order
foundry	furnace where metal is melted