"Princess September" is a charming fairy tale written by the English author W. Somerset Maugham. The story is set in Siam (now Thailand), where the king and his wives live in a palace. The queen has nine daughters, all named after the months. The youngest, Princess September, is kind and gentle. When the king gives each of his daughters a parrot as a gift, the parrot of Princess September dies. The princess is heartbroken, but a small green songbird comes to console her with its beautiful singing, and the two become dear friends.
The story takes a meaningful turn when Princess September's sisters, jealous of her happiness, convince her that her bird will fly away unless she keeps it in a cage. Following their advice, Princess September cages the bird. The bird stops singing and, when freed from its cage, flies away forever. The princess learns a deep lesson: love and freedom must go together. When she finally accepts this, the bird returns, and her song returns with it.
William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was a prolific and celebrated English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. His famous works include "Of Human Bondage" and "The Razor's Edge". Maugham was also a successful writer of fairy tales for children, and "Princess September" is one of his most loved stories. His writing is marked by sharp observation, clear storytelling and deep insight into human nature. In this story, he explores the theme of love and freedom through the simple tale of a princess and her bird.
In Siam, the king had nine daughters, all named after the months of the year. The youngest was Princess September. One day, the king gave each of his daughters a beautiful parrot as a gift. The parrots were kept in cages and were taught to speak. The princesses were very happy with their parrots.
One night, Princess September's parrot died because it had eaten too much. The princess was very sad and cried. The king, seeing her sorrow, tried to cheer her but could not. That evening, as September sat crying in her room, a little green songbird flew in through the window. It began to sing a sweet song that comforted the princess. Soon the little bird became her constant companion.
September's sisters grew jealous of her happiness. They came to her and warned her that her bird would one day fly away, because it was free and not kept in a cage. They told her to keep the bird in a cage like their parrots. Believing her sisters, September put the bird in a golden cage.
In the cage, the little bird stopped singing. It became dull and sad, and stopped eating. One day, the princess found the cage empty - the bird had escaped through a small opening. September was heartbroken. She had learned that by caging the bird, she had lost its love and its song.
September realised her mistake. She understood that love cannot be kept in a cage. She stopped crying, opened her window and decided that if the bird loved her, it would return. When the bird came back, it sang for her again. The story ends happily - Princess September, who had learned the value of freedom and love, became the wisest of all and later married the King of Cambodia.
| Character | Role | Key Traits |
|---|---|---|
| Princess September | The youngest princess | Kind, gentle, loving |
| The Little Green Bird | September's friend | Beautiful singer, values freedom |
| The Sisters | Jealous princesses | Envious, interfering |
| The King | Father of the princesses | Kind but traditional |
The central theme is freedom and love. The story shows that love cannot flourish in a cage - it needs freedom. A second theme is jealousy: the sisters' jealousy nearly destroys September's happiness. A third theme is the value of kindness and understanding: September's gentle nature and her final wisdom make her the wisest princess. The theme of the consequences of bad advice is also central - following her sisters' jealous advice costs September her bird's song.
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Symbolism | The bird symbolises freedom and love | Gives the story depth |
| Personification | The bird feels sad and stops eating | Makes the bird human-like |
| Foreshadowing | The sisters' warnings about the bird flying away | Builds suspense |
| Contrast | Caged parrots vs free songbird | Highlights the theme |
| Irony | Caging the bird makes it leave | Deepens the moral lesson |
| State | Result |
|---|---|
| Free | Singing, joyful, loving |
| Caged | Silent, sad, escaping |
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The songbird | Freedom, love, happiness |
| The golden cage | Possession, lack of freedom |
| The sisters' parrots | Caged, enslaved life |
| The song | Love and joy in freedom |
"Princess September" is a gentle fairy tale that carries a profound lesson about love and freedom. Through the story of a princess and her little green songbird, W. Somerset Maugham shows that love cannot survive in a cage - it must be given freedom to grow. September's sisters, driven by jealousy, give her harmful advice, but the princess learns wisdom from her sorrow. When she finally sets her love free, the bird returns and her happiness is restored. The story teaches us to trust love, to resist envy and to understand that the deepest relationships flourish when we allow each other the freedom to be ourselves.