The Emperor of China lives in the most marvelous palace in the world, made completely of porcelain, and his garden is full of the rarest flowers. Yet lovelier than all, say visitors to his realm, is the song of the nightingale in the forest by the sea
The Emperor has never heard this nightingale, and even his courtiers, searching far and wide, cannot find her. It takes a gentle kitchen maid, true of heart, to draw the humble nightingale to court. The Emperor is enchanted by the bird's sweet song - until a bejeweled version with a mechanical tune arrives. Will the mighty ruler learn too late the value of what is simple and genuine?
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Long ago in China there lived a very rich and powerful Emperor. His palace was the most magnificent in the world. His garden was filled with the most wonderful flowers, and was so big even the gardener didn't know where it ended.
If you went on walking, you reached a lovely forest with tall trees and deep lakes. In the forest lived a nightingale, who sang so beautifully even the poor hardworking fisherman would stop casting his nets every night and listen to its song
Because the bird's song was so sweet, the Emperor decreed the nightingale was to remain at court, where it would have its own cage, and be available to sing whenever the Emperor wished.
But things were not so simple.
This classic story by Hans Christian Andersen has had many interpretations, but none so beautiful as this treasure by Alison Claire Darke.
—from the dust jacket
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