like a natural one, and was
brilliantly ornamented with diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. So soon as
the artificial bird was wound up, he could sing one of the pieces that
he really sang, and then his tail moved up and down, and shone with
silver and gold. Round his neck hung a little ribbon, and on that was
written, "The Emperor of China's nightingale is poor compared to that of
the Emperor of Japan."

"That is capital!" said they all, and he who had brought the artificial
bird immediately received the title, Imperial Head-Nightingale-Bringer.

"Now they must sing together; what a duet that will be!" cried the
courtiers.

And so they had to sing together; but it did not sound very well, for
the real Nightingale sang its own way, and the artificial bird sang
waltzes.

"That's not his fault," said the playmaster; "he's quite perfect, and
very much in my style."

Now the artificial bird was to sing alone. It had just as much success
as the real one, and then it was much handsomer to look at--it shone
like bracelets and breastpins.

Three and thirty times over did it sing the same piece, and yet was not
tired. The people would gladly have heard it again, but the Emperor said
that the living Nightingale ought to sing something now. But where was
it? No one had noticed that it had flown away out of the open window,
back to the green wood.

"But what has become of that?" asked the Emperor.

And all the courtiers abused the Nightingale, and declared that it was a
very ungrateful creature.

"We have the best bird after all," said they.

And so the artificial bird had to sing again, and that was the
thirty-fourth time that they listened to the same piece. For all that
they did not know it quite by heart, for it was so very difficult. And
the playmaster praised the bird particularly; yes, he declared that it
was better than a nightingale, not only with regard to its plumage and
the many beautiful diamonds, but inside as well.

"For you see, ladies and gentlemen, and above all, your Imperial
Majesty, with a real nightingale one can never calculate what is coming,
but in this artificial bird, everything is settled. One can explain it;
one can open it and make people understand where the waltzes come from,
how they go, and how one follows up another."

"Those are quite our own ideas," they all said.

And the speaker received permission to show the bird to the people on
the next Sunday. The people were to hear it sing