Page:The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen (c1899).djvu/34

 ran up and down all the stairs in the palace, looked through all the rooms and passages, but none of those whom he met had ever heard of the nightingale. So the lord-in-waiting returned to the emperor, and said that it must be a mere fiction invented by those who wrote the books. “Your imperial majesty is not to believe all that is written,” said he; “these are mere poetical fancies, and what is called the black art.”

“But the book in which I read this,” said the emperor, “was sent to me by the high-potent Emperor of Japan, and therefore it cannot contain a falsehood. I will hear the nightingale! She must come hither this evening. She enjoys my gracious favour. And if she does not come, the whole court shall have their bodies trampled upon the moment supper is over.”

“Tsing-pe!” said the lord-in-waiting, and he again ran up and down all the stairs, and looked through all the rooms and passages, and half of the courtiers accompanied him in his search, for they did not relish the thoughts of being trampled upon. And there was a mighty inquiry after the wonderful nightingale, which all the world knew of, except those who resided at court.

At last they found a little girl in the kitchen, who said: “Oh dear! I know the nightingale well enough, and beautifully she sings! I have leave to take home to my poor sick mother the remains of the dinner-table; and she lives down by the shore, and when I come back and am tired, and sit down to rest in the forest, then I hear the nightingale sing. And the tears come into my eyes, and it is just as if my mother kissed me.”

“Little cook,” said the lord-in-waiting, “I will obtain for you a lasting situation in the kitchen, and the permission to see the emperor dine, if you will show us the way to the nightingale, for she is bespoken for this evening.”

And so they all went out into the forest, where the nightingale used to sing. Half the court was there. As they walked along, a cow began lowing.

“Oh,” cried some of the young lords of the court, “now we've found her! What wonderful strength for so small an animal! I have certainly heard this before!”

“Nay, those are cows a-bellowing,” said the little cook. “We are at a good distance yet from the spot.”

The frogs now began to croak in a neighbouring marsh.

“Magnificent!” said the Chinese court-preacher; “Now I hear her—it sounds like little church bells.”

“Nay, those are frogs,” said the little cook; “but I think that we shall soon hear her now.”

The nightingale then began to sing.

“There she is,” said the little girl. “Hark! hark! and there she sits,” added she, pointing to a little grey bird up in the boughs.

“Is it possible?” said the lord-in-waiting. “I should never have fancied her like that! How simple she looks! She has certainly lost her colour at seeing so many persons of rank around her.”

“Little nightingale,” cried the little cook aloud, “our most gracious emperor wishes you to sing before him.”

“With the greatest pleasure!” said the nightingale, and sang so exquisitely, that it was a delight to hear her.

“It sounds like glass bells,” said the lord-in-waiting; “and look how her little throat is working! It is surprising that we never heard her before! She will have great success at court.”

“Shall I sing once more before the emperor?” asked the nightingale, who thought the emperor was there.

“My sweet little nightingale,” said the lord-in-waiting, “I have the pleasure to invite you to a court assembly for this evening, at which you will enchant his Imperial Highness with your delightful singing.”