The Nightingale

A king learns that one of the most beautiful things in his empire is the song of the nightingale. When he orders a nightingale brought to him, a kitchen maid (the only one at court who knows of its whereabouts) leads the court to a nearby forest where the bird is found. The nightingale agrees to appear at court. The king is so delighted with the bird's song that he keeps the nightingale in captivity. When the king is given a bejeweled mechanical bird he loses interest in the real nightingale, who returns to the forest. The mechanical bird eventually breaks down due to overuse. The king is taken deathly ill a few years later. The real nightingale learns of the king's condition and returns to the palace. Death is so moved by the nightingale's song that he departs and the king recovers. The nightingale agrees to sing to the emperor of all the happenings in the empire, that he will be known as the wisest emperor ever to live.