The mechanical bird remains next to the Emperor's bed, surrounded by the many gifts that he has given it, including his golden slipper. A watchmaker is eventually able to repair it but says that from now on, to avoid breaking it again, it should only be used once a year. While the courtiers are admiring the mechanical nightingale, the real one slips away quietly.Īfter a year of constant use, the mechanical nightingale suddenly stops working. They are also impressed that it can sing over and over again without getting tired. The courtiers are impressed that, unlike the real nightingale, the mechanical one sings the same song every time. It contains a mechanical nightingale made of gold and silver and covered in jewels. One day, the Emperor receives a package from the Emperor of Japan. The bird and her beautiful song become famous throughout the city. She lives in a cage but is allowed to fly outside three times a day, although a servant must keep hold of her by a silken thread when she flies. The nightingale is told to remain in the palace. He offers the bird his golden slipper as a reward but she says that the Emperor's tears are reward enough. The nightingale's song moves the Emperor to tears. The bird replies that her song sounds best in the forest but agrees to go anyway. The girl asks the nightingale if she will sing at the Emperor's palace. The gentleman is surprised to find that the nightingale is a plain looking gray bird but is impressed by its song. Eventually, a girl who works in the kitchen tells the gentleman that she listens to the nightingale every evening and that she can lead the courtiers to where the bird lives. The gentleman asks the other courtiers but they have never heard of the bird. He asks a gentleman of his court to find out about the nightingale. The Emperor is surprised that he needed to read a foreign book to find out about the bird with an amazing voice which lives near his palace. It says that the nightingale is the most remarkable thing in all of China. Illustration by William Heath Robinson from a 1913 British edition of Andersen's stories.Ī book is sent to the Emperor from the Emperor of Japan. The kitchen girl brings the courtiers to the nightingale. When travelers from other countries write about the Emperor's city, they always mention the nightingale but the Emperor himself does not know that the bird exists. In the forest, lives a nightingale which sings so beautifully that all who hear her song cannot help but be moved. Beyond the garden, there is a forest which stretches to the ocean. The Emperor of China lives in a palace made entirely of porcelain with a beautiful garden. One of the best known adaptations is the 1914 opera Le Rossignol by Igor Stravinsky. The story has been adapted for stage, cinema and television. When the Emperor receives a mechanical nightingale, the bird falls out of favor but the real bird's song eventually saves the Emperor's life by charming Death himself. The Emperor wants the nightingale to stay with him always and the bird becomes popular at court and famous throughout the city. The story centers around a Chinese emperor who finds out about a nightingale with an extremely beautiful voice. 'The Nightingale' (Danish: 'Nattergalen') is a short story for children by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Illustration of a nightingale from the 1914 encyclopedia The New Student's Reference Work. For the 2015 novel, see The Nightingale (Kristin Hannah novel). This article is about the 19th century children's story by Hans Christian Andersen.