About the author
Oscar Wilde was born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin. His mother, Jane Wilde, was a poet and nationalist, and his father, Sir William Wilde, was a well-known eye and ear physician. Born into a household immersed in science and arts, Wilde was drawn to books and ideological discussions from a young age.
After completing his education at Trinity College, Dublin, Wilde went on to study at Oxford. After that, he moved to London, where his unique, ostentatious style made him stand out rapidly. Wilde became a leading figure in Aestheticism, an artistic movement popular at the end of the 19th century, after being enthralled by its principles. Adopting the slogan of "art for art's sake", supporters of this movement chose to disregard the significance of ideological or moral lessons in art, instead valuing beauty and self-expression.
Wilde soon rose to fame as a playwright with comedic plays like An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Lady Windermere's Fan. These last two titles contain subliminal puns: the word "earnest" means serious, but it is also the name of the main character, Earnest. Furthermore, the English term "fan" denotes both an admirer and, more literally, an air cooler. This play tells the story of a high-class courtship centred around a fan in the wrong place at the wrong time. In general, puns and clever, ambiguous paradoxes are traits of Wilde's style.
However, a certain personal scandal tainted his success. Wilde’s life took a drastically different turn when he was found guilty of "obscenity" in 1895 due to his involvement in homosexual relations — which were forbidden at the time in England — and imprisoned. After an ill-fated trial, he received a two-year term of hard labour. Wilde's reputation and health suffered greatly as a result of his trial and subsequent incarceration.
Wilde was banished to France in 1897 following his release from prison. While there, he wrote "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", in which he captured the hardships and sorrow he went through while incarcerated. Sadly, Wilde's health continued to decline, and on November 30, 1900, at the age of 46, he passed away.
“The Happy Prince” fairy tale
Around the world, people continue to read and discuss the works of Oscar Wilde, such as the fairy tale "The Happy Prince", one of his most well-known works, penned in 1888. The narrative centres around a golden statue of a prince and a little swallow in a fictional city. Once alive, the prince led a luxurious life shielded from the terrible realities of the world beyond his palace. Following his death, the citizens built a statue in his honour, where a little swallow rests during its migration.
The story's pivotal moment comes when the prince's spirit, now within the golden statue, becomes aware of the town's poverty and sorrow. The Happy Prince, moved by intense compassion, persuades the Swallow to distribute the statue's gold and precious gems to those in need, sacrificing himself in the process.
The Swallow selflessly obeys the prince's directions, sacrificing his own safety for the sake of others. The story's key themes are compassion, altruism, and the sharp divide between the ruling class and those in need. It is often seen as a moral tale that demonstrates Wilde's ability to combine imaginative narratives and social commentary. On the other hand, this story, like others by Wilde ("The Selfish Giant", The Picture of Dorian Grey), demonstrates that, when necessary, Wilde contradicts the principle of "art for art's sake" proclaimed by himself and his associates, conveying profound messages through art.
Lav Eli
Established in Vanadzor in 1996, Lav Eli is an Armenian rock band led by Mher Manukyan and Gor Mkhitaryan. The band has had multiple line-up changes throughout the years, and many of their albums and live performances have been recorded.
“The Happy Prince” song
The titular song is from the 2018 digital edition of the album Autumn Raindog («Անձրևաշուն»). Oscar Wilde's fairy tale "The Happy Prince" served as its inspiration, and it is heavily referenced throughout. Here are the song's lyrics, in its original Armenian:
Ախ այդ դեմքերը՝ գետաձիու կաշի,
Ախ այդ աչքերը՝ հոգու կափարիչ,
Այստեղ ես օտար եմ, այստեղ ես օտար եմ,
Ես եկել եմ ուրիշ, ուրիշ աշխարհից:
Նրանք, որ կարված են իրենք իրենց մեջ,
Նրանք, որ սնվում են իրենք իրենցով,
Ախ, այդ դեմքերին ոչ մուտք կա, ոչ ելք,
Համակ կշտություն, ոչ մի կաթիլ սով:
Այդ մարդիկ, այդ մարդիկ, ախ, ինչ սառն են նրանք,
Նրանց շունչը սառույց է՝ անողոք ու սպանող,
Ու ամբողջ մի կյանքից՝ ոչ մի կետ շփման,
Ու ամբողջ ընթացքում՝ ոչ մի լար՝ կապող։
Այդ մարդիկ, այդ մարդիկ մեռած են այնքան,
Այսքան շատ մարմին, այդքան քիչ ապրող,
Եվ ամբողջ մի կյանքից՝ մի սիրտ՝ չորացած,
Եվ ամբողջ ընթացքում՝ միայն կեր լափող:
Իմ ծիծեռնակ բարի, դու մնա, դու մնա ինձ հետ,
Այս գիշերն աշխարհի միասին անցնենք,
Առ ինձ քո թևերին, տար ինձ հետ՝ երկինք,
Իմ ծիծեռնակ փոքրիկ՝ իմ սիրտ, իմ սիրտ, իմ սիրտ, իմ սիրտ ․․․
English translation
Oh, those faces of hippopotamus skin,
Oh, those eyes, lids of the soul,
I am a stranger here, I am a stranger here,
I’ve come from another, different world.
They who are sewn into themselves,
They who feed on themselves,
Oh, those faces have no entry and no exit.
Entirely sated, not a drop of hunger.
Those people, those people, oh, how cold they are,
Their breath is ice, merciless and deadly,
And from an entire lifetime, not a single point of contact,
And the entire while, not one common thread.
Those people, those people are so very dead
So many bodies, so few living
And from an entire lifetime, one withered heart,
And the entire while, just gobbling food.
My kind swallow, would you stay, would you stay with me
Let us pass this night on earth together
Take me on your wings, take me back to the sky
My little swallow, my heart, my heart, my heart, my heart…
As you can see, the song opens by criticising society's spiritual poverty and superficial morals. The lyrics «Դեմքերը՝ գետաձիու կաշի, աչքերը՝ հոգու կափարիչ» ("Oh those faces, hippopotamus skin, Oh, those eyes, the lid of the soul") reflect people's hypocrisy, the contradiction of their own beliefs, words, and acts. The author thinks himself a stranger in this atmosphere, as if he has arrived from another world. This is a direct reference to the novel, in which the main character, the prince, has lived his entire life in the palace, in wealth and luxury, and has never seen the misery of people or the cruelty of the world, but after death, he is given the opportunity to see it all through the eyes of a statue. He observes the city and the people, and experiences deep disappointment.
In the second stanza, the lyricist denounces «նրանց, ովքեր կարված են իրենց մեջ ու սնվում են իրենք իրենցով» ("They who are sewn into themselves, they who feed on themselves"). This reflects people's selfishness and greed. As in the fairy tale, the people who lived a wealthy and extravagant life in the city hid in their palaces while starving children were freezing in front of their gates. «Համակ կշտություն, ոչ մի կաթիլ սով» ("Entirely sated, not a drop of hunger") is one of the song's most fitting phrases. People consider physical satisfaction the goal of their lives. However, the drive for self-improvement, whether physical or spiritual, dies in them, and they lose sight of the importance of spiritual progress. Mher Manukyan, the song's author, stated in an interview that an artist must be "not full" in order to have a full creative life. According to him, the artist works with non-physical substance, and if the physical takes precedence in his life, he will lose touch with the spiritual world. On the other hand, for the artist, his prosperous life and power are tools through which he can bring his greatest benefit to humanity. A classic example is Goethe, who used his secular position and the power that came with it to develop the "German speech". Another example closer to us is the greatest Armenian poet, Hovhannes Tumanyan, who utilised his relatively comfortable status to support and spread art. All of this is reflected in this fairy tale, in which a young playwright who was meant to compose a play for the stage was starving and in poor physical condition. He had both spiritual and physical hunger, as seen by his thoughts of finding food and staying warm so he could continue writing. With the help of the swallow and the prince, he physically returns to life to satisfy his spiritual desire and finish his play. Therefore, it is up to individuals to decide how they will satisfy their physical and spiritual needs. Some focus solely on the physical, while others focus on the spiritual, but they must be balanced because, in any case, we are living beings whose bodies demand energy, but we are separated from animals in our intelligence and spiritual understanding.
The third stanza condemns people for their coldness and indifference. According to the author, a person who is indifferent is capable of killing another. This is observed several times throughout the tale. For example, when the Happy Prince asks the Swallow to assist the seamstress, who is meant to sew a dress for one of the lovely girls in the queen's suite for the palace ball. However, the woman was unable to work, since her son was ill, and she did not know where to buy medicine. The Swallow delivers her another jewel sacrificed by the prince, and on his way back, he notices the girl (for whom the dress was) casually discussing her outfit with her lover on the balcony and calling the seamstress "lazy". Another example is the previously mentioned young playwright, who was expected to compose a play for the theatre,but was too cold and hungry to carry on. And when he wrote, the audience didn't even care who the author was or how much money was spent on the play. This refers to the destructive power of indifference; a person's talent and potential are lost due to society's insensitivity.
The fourth stanza discusses the emptiness of people's lives. Despite being physically alive, they are "dead". This refers to the meaning of life, that individuals live their lives solely for the purpose of eating, not leaving or giving anything. The lyrics «ամբողջ մի կյանքից՝ մի սիրտ՝ չորացած» ("And from an entire lifetime, one withered heart") perfectly describes this phenomenon. Such people's bodies are all that remain after their deaths. In an interview, Mher Manukyan noted, "Every person alive today owes the world a great debt. From the moment we are born, we are fed, clothed, and provided for by the labour of many others. We eat sour cream created from someone's cow's milk, and the clothing we wear are the result of many people's work. After some time, I realised that it is worth hundreds of lives for me to be alive, breathing this air, and engaging in various stupidities. It is at this point that you realise you owe the world something as well. At that point, your priorities shift, and you think not about fame and glory, but about how to repay that debt at least a little, so that it won’t be said of you that ‘“an animal was born and an animal has died’””.
These principles are central to both the music and the fairy tale. There are people who gave their life so that we could have ours. It is up to us to choose to be either another mindless consumer, or to spread love and goodness through our life. This topic can be discussed indefinitely, however it is best summarised with one statement from the Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan: "It is the work that is immortal" («գործն է անմահ»).
The final lines are the song's bridge, and here, the melody changes. «Իմ ծիծեռնակ բարի, դու մնա, դու մնա ինձ հետ, այս գիշերն աշխարհի միասին անցնենք» ("My kind swallow, would you stay, would you stay with me, let us pass this night on earth together"). The Swallow intended to catch up to his flock in Egypt, but as the Happy Prince is unable to move, it stays with him to serve as his messenger, to help people together. However, after three nights, the Swallow dies. And the prince, who has lost his precious stones and his former, exquisite beauty, is regarded as a meaningless, shabby piece of metal. His heart is tossed aside, alongside the Swallow's body. At the end of the story, God instructs one of his angels to go and find the most precious thing in the city. The angel returns with the bird's body and the prince's heart, which God accepts. «Առ ինձ քո թևերին, տար ինձ հետ՝ երկինք» ("Take me on your wings, take me back to the sky"). In that section of the song, the author wants to escape from the bitter, cruel, and unjust reality. The fact that the Swallow and the Happy Prince do not find a place in the human world, but rather with God, demonstrates that if a person has love and truth, there is undoubtedly a place where it will be welcomed and rewarded.
Despite being based on a fictional story, this song by the band Lav Eli accurately depicts our reality through their lyrics and references. Hypocrisy, indifference, greed, and emptiness can be found in our modern culture as well. There are far too many individuals who do not value their life and time, who waste the opportunities given to them, who live only for today, and who, as a result of their carelessness, ruin many, many lives. Despite being published a century and a half ago, Wilde’s narrative, while tragic, mocks the harsh truth and remains relevant to this day.
Author: Harutyun Kocharyan
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