町の高い柱の上に、「幸福の王子」と呼ばれる美しい像が立っていた。全身は純金で覆われ、両目には青いサファイア、剣の柄には真っ赤なルビーが輝いていた。生前の彼は悲しみなど知る由もない風に、宮殿の中で毎日楽しく暮らしていたのである。しかし、死後に高い場所へ立てられてからは、町の貧しさと人々の悲惨な暮らしがすべて見渡せるようになり、王子の心は痛むばかりであった。
High upon a pillar in the town stood a beautiful statue called the "Happy Prince." His entire body was covered in pure gold, his eyes shone with blue sapphires, and a bright red ruby glowed on the hilt of his sword. In life, he had lived happily in the palace every day, as if he had no way of knowing sadness. However, after being placed in a high position after his death, he could overlook all the poverty of the town and the miserable lives of the people, and the Prince's heart did nothing but ache.
ある秋の夜、エジプトへ向かい遅れていた一羽のツバメが、王子の足元で休むことにした。ツバメが眠りにつこうかというその時、突然冷たいしずくが落ちてきた。驚いて見上げると、それは王子の流す涙にほかならなかった。「私の代わりに、あの病気の子供を持つ貧しい母親にルビーを届けてくれないか」と王子がすがるように頼むので、ツバメは一晩だけ留まることにしたのである。
One autumn night, a swallow who was late heading to Egypt decided to rest at the Prince's feet. Just as the swallow was about to fall asleep, cold drops of water suddenly fell. Surprised and looking up, they were nothing other than the tears shed by the Prince. Because the Prince begged as if pleading, "Could you please deliver this ruby to that poor mother with a sick child in my place?" the swallow decided to stay for just one night.
翌日ツバメがエジプトへ旅立とうとすると、王子は再び引き留めた。「若くて才能のある劇作家が、寒さと飢えで行き倒れつつあるのだ。私の片目であるサファイアを持っていってほしい」ツバメは断りきれず、さらに次の日も、マッチ売りの少女を救うために残りのサファイアを運んだ。目の見えなくなった王子を一人残して旅立つわけにはいかず、ツバメはずっと王子のそばにいると決心した。
The next day, when the swallow was about to depart for Egypt, the Prince held it back again. "A young and talented playwright is collapsing from cold and hunger. I want you to take one of my sapphire eyes to him." The swallow could not refuse, and the following day as well, it carried the remaining sapphire to save a little match girl. Unable to depart and leave the now-blind Prince all alone, the swallow resolved to stay by the Prince's side forever.
冬が近づくにつれて寒さは増していくものの、ツバメは町中を飛び回り、貧しい人々の様子を王子に伝えた。「私の体を覆っている金をすべて剥がして、貧しい人々に分けてあげてほしい」という王子の言葉に応じ、ツバメは毎日少しずつ金箔を運び続けた。金がすべて剥がれ落ちた王子は、ただの灰色で粗末な像にすぎなくなってしまったが、救われた貧しい人々には笑顔が戻ったのである。
As winter approached, the cold increased, but the swallow flew around the town and told the Prince about the plight of the poor people. Responding to the Prince's words, "I want you to peel off all the gold covering my body and distribute it to the poor people," the swallow continued to carry gold leaf bit by bit every day. The Prince, with all his gold peeled off, became nothing but a gray and shabby statue, but smiles returned to the poor people who had been saved.
やがて雪が降り積もるようになると、寒さに耐え抜いたツバメもついに力尽き、王子の足元で静かに息を引き取った。その途端、王子の鉛の心臓が悲しみのあまり二つに割れてしまった。春になり、みすぼらしくなった像は市長さたちによって取り壊されるほかなかった。しかし、天国から地上を見下ろしていた神様は、この最も尊い魂を持ったツバメと王子の心臓を、永遠の宝物として天国へと招き入れたのであった。
Eventually, as snow began to pile up, the swallow who had endured the cold finally reached the limit of its strength and quietly drew its last breath at the Prince's feet. At that instant, the Prince's leaden heart broke in two from its deep sadness. When spring came, the shabby-looking statue had no choice but to be demolished by the mayor and others. However, God, who was looking down at the earth from heaven, welcomed this swallow with the most noble soul and the Prince's heart into heaven as eternal treasures.