📌 Summary – The Happy Prince 

The Happy Prince is a beautiful statue covered with gold and jewels. When he was alive, he lived in a palace and never saw sadness, so people called him Happy Prince. But after becoming a statue, he can see all the suffering in the city—poor people, hungry children, and suffering workers.

A little swallow comes to rest at his feet. The Prince cries and tells the swallow to take the ruby from his sword to help a poor seamstress whose son is sick.

Then he sends the swallow again to take one sapphire (his eye) to a poor playwright who is starving. Later, he gives the second sapphire (his other eye) to a little matchgirl.

Now he is blind. The swallow stays with him always. The Prince asks the swallow to strip off all his gold and give it to the poor.

Winter comes. The swallow dies in the cold at the Prince’s feet. The Prince’s heart breaks.

The townspeople remove the statue because it is no longer beautiful. But God says the two most precious things in the city are:

• the swallow’s dead body (because of its love)
• the Prince’s broken leaden heart (because of his kindness)

God keeps them forever in Heaven.

📌 Hindi 

हैप्पी प्रिंस की मूर्ति सोने, रूबी और नीलम से बनी थी। जब वह ज़िंदा था तब उसने कभी दुख नहीं देखा, इसलिए लोग उसे हैप्पी प्रिंस कहते थे। लेकिन मूर्ति बनने के बाद वह शहर का दुख-दर्द देख सकता था—ग़रीबी, भूखे बच्चे, बीमार लोग।

एक छोटी चिड़िया (swallow) उसकी मूर्ति पर बैठती है। प्रिंस रोता है और चिड़िया से कहता है कि उसकी तलवार से रूबी निकालकर एक गरीब सिलाई करने वाली महिला को दे दो, जिसका बच्चा बीमार है।

फिर वह अपने नीलम (eyes) एक-एक करके देता है—

• पहला नाटक लिखने वाले गरीब लेखक को
• दूसरा एक मैच बेचने वाली छोटी बच्ची को

अब प्रिंस अंधा हो गया। चिड़िया उसके साथ रहने का फैसला करती है। प्रिंस अपनी सोने की परत भी गरीबों में बंटवा देता है।

ठंड में चिड़िया मर जाती है और प्रिंस का दिल टूट जाता है। नगरवासी मूर्ति को बेकार समझकर हटा देते हैं, पर भगवान उसे और चिड़िया के दिल को अमर बना देते हैं क्योंकि वे सबसे कीमती थे— प्यार और त्याग के कारण।

📌Word Meaning 

📌 4. Extracted NCERT Questions with Easy Answers

Q1. Why do the courtiers call the Prince ‘the Happy Prince’? Is he really happy? What does he see around him now?

Answer:
They called him Happy Prince because when he was alive, he lived in a palace and never saw sorrow.
No, now he is not happy. As a statue he sees suffering everywhere—poor people, hungry children, and sadness all around.

Q2. Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby for the seamstress? What does the swallow do there?

Answer:
He sends the ruby because the seamstress is poor, her child is sick, and she has no money to buy oranges.
The swallow places the ruby on her table and cools the sick boy by fanning him with its wings.

Q3. For whom does the Prince send the sapphires and why?

Answer:
He sends:

• First sapphire to the poor playwright so he can buy wood and food.
• Second sapphire to the matchgirl so her father won’t beat her.

He wants to help them in their suffering.

Q4. What does the swallow see when it flies over the city?

Answer:
He sees rich people enjoying inside bright houses, while the poor starve outside. Hungry children, homeless boys, and suffering everywhere.

Q5. Why did the swallow not leave the Prince and go to Egypt?

Answer:
Because he loved the Prince and wanted to stay with him after he became blind. He felt the Prince needed him.

Q6. What are the precious things mentioned in the story? Why are they precious?

Answer:
The two precious things are:

• The swallow’s dead body
• The Prince’s broken leaden heart

They are precious because they represent love, kindness, sacrifice, and true goodness.