Long ago, the Emperor in China had a very beautiful kingdom. Everyone admired his palace and gardens. One day, the Emperor heard a nightingale sing beautifully and ordered his courtiers to search for the nightingale and bring it to the palace. The Emperor kept the bird in his palace in a cage and daily heard her melodious song. One day, the King of Japan sent him a beautiful artificial nightingale covered with precious gems. It, too, sang wonderfully.
Everyone started praising it and forgot the real nightingale. Upset, the real nightingale flew away. One day, it so happened that the spring of the artificial nightingale broke and it could not sing. Years passed by. The Emperor fell ill and was near death. No doctor could cure him. The real nightingale heard this and one night came to the Emperor’s chamber to sing for him. Hearing the bird sing, the Emperor recovered. The bird promised that it would always come and sing for him.
