Once a traveller told the King of China that he had heard a nightingale sing wonderfully in the forest. A kitchen maid knew where to find the bird. The king sent his soldiers with her and they caught the nightingale and brought it to him. He put it in a golden cage and enjoyed its song. One day, the king was given a mechanical bird that sang. The king was so happy with the toy that he neglected the real bird. The nightingale returned to the forest. The mechanical bird broke down and no one was able to repair it. Meanwhile, the king had fallen ill. He longed for the nightingale’s song. But the real nightingale now lived in the forest. It heard about the king’s illness and the break-down of the toy bird. One morning, the dying king heard the nightingale’s beautiful song outside his window! He revived and lived for long, hearing the nightingale sing every day!
The Nightingale
