OSCAR WILDE AND THE SIGN OF THE SWALLOWS
When I was 7 I had something of an obsession with Oscar Wilde's fairytale The Happy Prince . Even at that young age, I wanted to write legends a la Wilde, and I invited knowing laughter from those who were much taller than me when I announced, "I want to be like Oscar Wilde!" The Happy Prince concerns the friendship between a statue of a prince that is perched high above the city, he is covered in gold leaf, has two sapphires for eyes and a spectacular ruby on the hilt of his sword. The prince befriends a lonely swallow who takes shelter under him. The swallow has been left behind by a migrating flock, and is love sick; he fell for a reed who rejected him. The prince is heartbroken, too, he is bedecked in jewels but sees so much poverty and illness that he weeps. The prince persuades the swallow to pick out his jewels and tear off the gold with his wide beak, and deliver them to the needy across the city which the swallow does with delight. One a...
