In ancient China stood the most magnificent palace in all the world, built entirely of delicate porcelain that gleamed in the sunlight. The emperor's gardens stretched so far that even the gardener did not know where they ended, filled with wondrous flowers adorned with silver bells that tinkled softly in the breeze.
Beyond the gardens lay a noble forest that sloped down to the deep blue sea. In one of the tall trees lived a nightingale whose song was so beautiful that even the busy fishermen would stop their work to listen. 'Oh, how wonderful!' they would say, before returning to their nets.
Travelers from around the world wrote books praising the emperor's palace and gardens. But they always concluded that the nightingale's song was the most beautiful wonder of all. When these books reached the emperor, he was astonished. 'A nightingale? In my own garden? Why has no one told me?'
The emperor commanded his lord-in-waiting to find the nightingale at once. The nobleman searched high and low through the palace, asking everyone, but no one had heard of such a bird. Finally, a poor little kitchen maid said, 'I know the nightingale! She sings so sweetly when I walk home through the forest.'
Half the court followed the kitchen maid into the forest. When a cow lowed, a courtier exclaimed, 'There she is!' The girl smiled. 'No, that is only a cow. Listen!' Then came the nightingale's song, and there she sat on a branch - a plain little gray bird.
That evening, the nightingale sang before the whole court. A golden perch had been placed in the center of the great hall, and as the little bird sang, tears rolled down the emperor's cheeks. 'That is my richest reward,' said the nightingale, 'to bring tears to an emperor's eyes.'
The nightingale was given a golden cage and allowed to fly twice daily, but always with twelve servants holding silken strings tied to her leg. All of China talked of the wonderful bird. But the nightingale longed for the freedom of her green forest home.
One day, a magnificent gift arrived from Japan: an artificial nightingale covered in diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. When wound up, it could sing and move its glittering tail. 'Marvelous!' cried the court. 'They must sing together!' But the real nightingale and the mechanical one could not keep time.
The artificial bird sang thirty-three times without tiring. While everyone admired its jewels and perfect waltzes, no one noticed the real nightingale fly out the open window. She returned to her beloved forest, and the emperor, in anger, banished her from the empire forever.
Five years passed. The mechanical bird was the empire's greatest treasure. But one evening, something inside it went 'whizz!' - a spring had broken. A watchmaker repaired it as best he could, but warned it could only sing once a year. Great was the sorrow throughout the land.
Then the emperor fell gravely ill. Cold and pale, he lay in his royal bed, scarcely breathing. A strange weight pressed upon his chest. Opening his eyes, he saw Death sitting there, wearing his golden crown and holding his sword and banner.
'Music! Music!' cried the emperor weakly, trying to silence the ghostly voices of his past deeds. 'Precious golden bird, sing!' But the mechanical bird remained silent. There was no one to wind it up. Death stared at the emperor with cold, hollow eyes.
Suddenly, through the open window came the most beautiful music. The real nightingale had heard of the emperor's illness and had come to sing of hope. As she sang, Death himself listened, enchanted by her song about quiet churchyards where white roses bloom.
'Will you give me the golden crown and the sword and the banner for a song?' asked the nightingale. Death gave up each treasure for another verse, until he floated away through the window like a cold white mist. The emperor's strength began to return.
'You saved my life,' whispered the emperor as morning light filled the room. 'Stay with me always.' The nightingale smiled. 'I cannot live in a palace, but I will come each evening to sing at your window. And remember - you have a little bird who tells you everything.' And she flew away into the dawn.
