Today, we would like to share a classic fairy tale from Hans Christian Andersen, ‘The Nightingale’. The story tells of how the singing of a nightingale moved the Chinese emperor to tears, but because it had lost its freedom, it could not sing happily and eventually chose to leave. Later, when the emperor fell seriously ill, the nightingale returned to sing for him, bringing hope and comfort.
This is a story full of wisdom and warmth, not just for children, but also for everyone to ponder. Next, let’s enter this beautiful and moving world together!
The Emperor and the Magical Nightingale in the Palace
Once upon a time, in ancient China, there was an emperor with endless wealth and power. His palace was the most magnificent place in the world, with walls covered in gold and floors made of the most precious marble. His imperial garden was even more breathtaking: it was filled with all kinds of rare flowers, and each one was tied with a silver bell, which jingled in the wind like music from heaven.
However, deep within this beautiful garden was a quiet forest, where an inconspicuous little bird lived – the nightingale. Despite its ordinary appearance, its song could touch people’s hearts and make them feel an indescribable beauty.
Many foreign travelers visited the imperial city, marveling at the magnificent palaces and enchanting gardens. But they were all captivated by the nightingale’s song and wrote glowing accounts of it when they returned home. These books were circulated all over the world, and some even reached the Chinese emperor.
One day, the emperor was sitting on his gilded throne reading these books. One of them said: “The emperor has a nightingale in his garden, and its song is the most beautiful thing in the world.” The emperor was astonished when he read this and said, “What? How come I didn’t know I had such a bird in my garden?”
So, angrily, he summoned his attendants and ordered them to bring the nightingale to the palace immediately. If they couldn’t find it, the whole court would be punished.
Searching for the nightingale
The servants hurried about, looking for the nightingale. They searched the entire palace, but never found the legendary bird.
Finally, a poor little girl in the kitchen stepped forward and said, “Every night when I walk home through the woods, I can always hear the nightingale singing. Every time I hear it, I can’t help but cry, as if my mother were kissing me.”
So a large group of people followed her into the woods. On the way, they encountered a cow lowing.
“Oh! We’ve found the nightingale!” cried a young nobleman excitedly, ‘what a resounding voice it has!”
The little girl shook her head and said, ’No, that’s the sound of a cow, we’re still far from the nightingale.”
As they continued walking, the frogs in the swamp croaked.
The high priest jumped for joy: “Now I hear it, it must be the nightingale! It sounds as solemn as the temple bells.”
The little girl shook her head again and said, ‘No, that’s the sound of a frog.”
Finally, in the silence, a clear and pleasant song drifted by. The little girl pointed to a small gray bird in a tree branch and said, ’That’s it! That’s the real nightingale!”
The group looked at the plain little bird with disbelief, thinking it was too ordinary. A servant walked up and politely said to the nightingale, “Honourable nightingale, the emperor invites you to attend the palace party tonight and to use your song to bless our emperor.”
The nightingale replied, ”My song can only be sung best in the natural woods. However, since this is for the sake of that kind little girl, I will agree to go for once.”
The nightingale’s first visit to the palace
That evening, the palace was decorated with brand new decorations. The emperor sat in the middle of the hall, and a golden pillar was erected next to him for the nightingale to stand on. The entire court gathered there, looking forward to hearing the nightingale sing.
The nightingale began to sing. Its song was as clear and moving as a babbling brook, and every note struck a chord in the heart. The emperor was moved to tears, and he exclaimed, “This is the most beautiful music I have ever heard!”
To express his gratitude, the emperor hung a pair of his gold slippers around the nightingale’s neck as a reward. But the nightingale politely declined, saying, “I have already received the best reward – seeing your tears, which proves that you are a person who knows how to be moved.”
Nevertheless, the emperor decided to keep the nightingale in the palace and prepared a beautiful birdcage for it. Every day, the nightingale was only allowed to go for three short walks, and it had to be accompanied by 12 servants holding the silk thread tied to its leg.
The emergence of artificial nightingales
One day, the emperor received a very special gift – a mechanical nightingale. The mechanical bird was covered in jade, rubies and diamonds, and when wound up, it sang and its tail wagged, glowing with gold and silver.
“It’s beautiful!” exclaimed the emperor.
The mechanical nightingale soon became the new favourite at court, as its magnificent appearance attracted everyone’s attention. Attempts to get the real nightingale to perform a duet with the artificial one failed, as the real nightingale liked to improvise, while the artificial one only knew one song.
Gradually, the artificial nightingale replaced the real one, and even the emperor began to prefer it. The real nightingale felt very lost, so one night it flew quietly out of the palace and returned to the forest where it belonged.
The emperor falls ill and death approaches
As the days passed, the artificial nightingale became the emperor’s only source of comfort. However, one night, while the emperor was lying in bed listening to it sing, a hissing sound suddenly came from it, and the song stopped abruptly.
The emperor quickly called in a watchmaker to inspect it, and was told that the gears inside the artificial nightingale were severely worn and could not be repaired. From then on, the mechanical bird could only sing once a year with great difficulty.
Without the song of the nightingale, the emperor became depressed and his health deteriorated, until he finally fell ill.
One night, the emperor woke up suddenly and saw death sitting on his chest. He trembled with fear and prayed for someone to drive away death. He turned to the mechanical nightingale and implored, “Please sing, sing now!”
But the mechanical nightingale stood there silently, unresponsive, because no one had wound it up.
Death stared at the emperor with hollow eyes, and the air around him grew colder and colder. Just as the emperor was about to suffocate, a familiar song came from the window.
It turned out that the real nightingale had returned! It stood on a branch in front of the window and sang a song of comfort and hope for the emperor. As its song resounded, the emperor’s heart regained its strength, the gloom around him gradually dissipated, and Death turned into a cold white mist and disappeared into the night sky.
The emperor said gratefully, “How can I ever repay you for banishing death?”
The nightingale smiled and replied, ‘You have already repaid me. Your tears are more precious to me than any jewels, for they represent the emotions in your heart.”
The free nightingale
The next morning, the emperor was completely recovered. He said to the nightingale, ’Will you stay by my side forever and sing only for me?”
The nightingale shook its head and said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t sing for just one person. I have to sing for everyone in the world – for the fisherman, the farmer, the happy people, and also for those who are suffering. Please let me fly free! But I’ll come back from time to time to sing for you, to tell you about the good and the evil around you, so that you can be happy and think about it, wouldn’t that be better?”
The emperor nodded in understanding, and the nightingale spread its wings and flew out of the palace, into the wide world.
A message for children
Dear children, what does this story tell us? The nightingale’s song is truly magical and beautiful, but even a leader of the country like the emperor cannot have it all to himself. Because the nightingale has higher aspirations, it wants to use its song to bring joy and comfort to people all over the world.
Therefore, we must also learn to respect others, cherish our freedom, and not selfishly take up other people’s time or talents. If you have a special skill or talent, use it to help more people in need, rather than just satisfying your own needs. Be a good child who is willing to share and has a kind heart!
