casket, an artificial nightingale made to look like a living one, and covered
all over with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. As soon as the artificial bird
was wound up, it could sing like the real one, and could move its tail up and
down, which sparkled with silver and gold. Round its neck hung a piece of
ribbon, on which was written “The Emperor of Japan’s nightingale is poor
compared with that of the Emperor of China’s.”
“This is very beautiful,” exclaimed all who saw it, and he who had
brought the artificial bird received the title of “Imperial nightingale-bringer-
in-chief.”
“Now they must sing together,” said the court, “and what a duet it will
be.” But they did not get on well, for the real nightingale sang in its own
natural way, but the artificial bird sang only waltzes.
“That is not a fault,” said the music-master, “it is quite perfect to my
taste,” so then it had to sing alone, and was as successful as the real bird;
besides, it was so much prettier to look at, for it sparkled like bracelets and
breast-pins. Three and thirty times did it sing the same tunes without being
tired; the people would gladly have heard it again, but the emperor said the
living nightingale ought to sing something. But where was she? No one had
noticed her when she flew out at the open window, back to her own green
woods.
“What strange conduct,” said the emperor, when her flight had been
discovered; and all the courtiers blamed her, and said she was a very
ungrateful creature.
“But we have the best bird after all,” said one, and then they would have
the bird sing again, although it was the thirty-fourth time they had listened
to the same piece, and even then they had not learnt it, for it was rather
difficult. But the music-master praised the bird in the highest degree, and
even asserted that it was better than a real nightingale, not only in its dress
and the beautiful diamonds, but also in its musical power. “For you must
perceive, my chief lord and emperor, that with a real nightingale we can
never tell what is going to be sung, but with this bird everything is settled. It
