The Nightingale (Andersen) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "The Nightingale" |
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| Author | Hans Christian Andersen |
| Country | Denmark |
| Language | Danish |
| Genre(s) | Literary fairy tale |
| Published in | New Fairy Tales (Nye Eventyr) |
| Publication type | Fairy tale collection |
| Publisher | C. A. Reitzel |
| Publication date | 1844 |
"The Nightingale" is a famous fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen. It was published in 1844 as part of his book New Fairy Tales (Nye Eventyr). This collection also included other well-known stories like "The Angel" and "The Ugly Duckling". People really liked these new stories when they first came out.
The Story's Inspiration
Hans Christian Andersen found ideas for "The Nightingale" from a few places. One big inspiration was Tivoli Gardens. This is a fun amusement park in Copenhagen, Denmark, that opened in the summer of 1843. It had many beautiful Chinese-style decorations, which you can see reflected in the story's setting.
Another important inspiration was Jenny Lind, a very famous Swedish opera singer. Andersen was very impressed by her talent and personality. She was often called the "Swedish Nightingale" because of her amazing voice. Andersen started writing the story on October 11, 1843, and finished it in less than a day!
What Happens in the Story
The story begins in the land of the Emperor of China. The Emperor loves beautiful and rare things. He hears that the most wonderful thing in his whole empire is a simple nightingale bird. This bird has the most beautiful song in the world.
The Emperor orders his servants to find this amazing bird and bring it to his palace. When the nightingale sings for him, its song is so lovely that it brings tears to the Emperor's eyes. He is completely charmed by the bird's natural beauty and music.
One day, the Emperor of Japan sends a special gift to the Emperor of China. It is a mechanical bird, covered in sparkling jewels. This toy bird can also sing when it is wound up. Its song is very pretty, but it always sings the same tune.
The Emperor and his court are amazed by the shiny, mechanical toy. They spend all their time listening to it. Because of this new toy, they forget about the real nightingale. Feeling neglected, the real bird quietly flies away back to her forest home.
After some time, the mechanical bird breaks down and cannot be fixed. The Emperor becomes very sad and then very sick. He is so ill that he is close to dying. As he lies in bed, Death itself seems to be waiting for him.
Suddenly, the real nightingale returns to the palace and lands on his window. She sings her beautiful, natural song. Her music is so powerful that it makes Death leave the room. The Emperor starts to feel better and recovers from his illness. He learns to appreciate the true beauty of nature over artificial things.
Images for kids
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How common it looks, said the chamberlain
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The ladies took some water into their mouths to try and make the same gurgling, thinking so to equal the nightingale.
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The music-master wrote five-and-twenty volumes about the artificial bird.
See also
In Spanish: El ruiseñor para niños
