Mrs.
Henry H. B. Paull, translator
Many, many years ago lived an emperor, who thought so much of new
clothes that he spent all his money in order to obtain them; his only ambition
was to be always well dressed. He did not care for his soldiers, and the
theatre did not amuse him; the only thing, in fact, he thought anything of was
to drive out and show a new suit of clothes. He had a coat for every hour of
the day; and as one would say of a king “He is in his cabinet,” so one could
say of him, “The emperor is in his dressing-room.”
The great city where he resided was
very gay; every day many strangers from all parts of the globe arrived. One day
two swindlers came to this city; they made people believe that they were
weavers, and declared they could manufacture the finest cloth to be imagined.
Their colours and patterns, they said, were not only exceptionally beautiful,
but the clothes made of their material possessed the wonderful quality of being
invisible to any man who was unfit for his office or unpardonably stupid.
“That must be wonderful cloth,”
thought the emperor. “If I were to be dressed in a suit made of this cloth I
should be able to find out which men in my empire were unfit for their places,
and I could distinguish the clever from the stupid. I must have this cloth
woven for me without delay.” And he gave a large sum of money to the swindlers,
in advance, that they should set to work without any loss of time. They set up
two looms, and pretended to be very hard at work, but they did nothing whatever
on the looms. They asked for the finest silk and the most precious gold-cloth;
all they got they did away with, and worked at the empty looms till late at
night.
“I should very much like to know how
they are getting on with the cloth,” thought the emperor. But he felt rather uneasy
when he remembered that he who was not fit for his office could not see it.
Personally, he was of opinion that he had nothing to fear, yet he thought it
advisable to send somebody else first to see how matters stood. Everybody in
the town knew what a remarkable quality the stuff possessed, and all were
anxious to see how bad or stupid their neighbours were.
“I shall send my honest old minister
to the weavers,” thought the emperor. “He can judge best how the stuff looks,
for he is intelligent, and nobody understands his office better than he.”
The good old minister went into the
room where the swindlers sat before the empty looms. “Heaven preserve us!” he
thought, and opened his eyes wide, “I cannot see anything at all,” but he did
not say so. Both swindlers requested him to come near, and asked him if he did
not admire the exquisite pattern and the beautiful colours, pointing to the
empty looms. The poor old minister tried his very best, but he could see
nothing, for there was nothing to be seen. “Oh dear,” he thought, “can I be so
stupid? I should never have thought so, and nobody must know it! Is it possible
that I am not fit for my office? No, no, I cannot say that I was unable to see
the cloth.”
“Now, have you got nothing to say?”
said one of the swindlers, while he pretended to be busily weaving.
“Oh, it is very pretty, exceedingly
beautiful,” replied the old minister looking through his glasses. “What a
beautiful pattern, what brilliant colours! I shall tell the emperor that I like
the cloth very much.”
“We are pleased to hear that,” said
the two weavers, and described to him the colours and explained the curious
pattern. The old minister listened attentively, that he might relate to the
emperor what they said; and so he did.
Now the swindlers asked for more
money, silk and gold-cloth, which they required for weaving. They kept
everything for themselves, and not a thread came near the loom, but they
continued, as hitherto, to work at the empty looms.
Soon afterwards the emperor sent
another honest courtier to the weavers to see how they were getting on, and if
the cloth was nearly finished. Like the old minister, he looked and looked but
could see nothing, as there was nothing to be seen.
“Is it not a beautiful piece of
cloth?” asked the two swindlers, showing and explaining the magnificent
pattern, which, however, did not exist.
“I am not stupid,” said the man. “It
is therefore my good appointment for which I am not fit. It is very strange,
but I must not let any one know it;” and he praised the cloth, which he did not
see, and expressed his joy at the beautiful colours and the fine pattern. “It
is very excellent,” he said to the emperor.
Everybody in the whole town talked
about the precious cloth. At last the emperor wished to see it himself, while
it was still on the loom. With a number of courtiers, including the two who had
already been there, he went to the two clever swindlers, who now worked as hard
as they could, but without using any thread.
“Is it not magnificent?” said the
two old statesmen who had been there before. “Your Majesty must admire the colours and the
pattern.” And then they pointed to the empty looms, for they imagined the
others could see the cloth.
“What is this?” thought the emperor,
“I do not see anything at all. That is terrible! Am I stupid? Am I unfit to be
emperor? That would indeed be the most dreadful thing that could happen to me.”
“Really,” he said, turning to the
weavers, “your cloth has our most gracious approval;” and nodding contentedly
he looked at the empty loom, for he did not like to say that he saw nothing.
All his attendants, who were with him, looked and looked, and although they
could not see anything more than the others, they said, like the emperor, “It
is very beautiful.” And all advised him to wear the new magnificent clothes at
a great procession which was soon to take place. “It is magnificent, beautiful,
excellent,” one heard them say; everybody seemed to be delighted, and the
emperor appointed the two swindlers “Imperial Court weavers.”
The whole night previous to the day
on which the procession was to take place, the swindlers pretended to work, and
burned more than sixteen candles. People should see that they were busy to
finish the emperor’s new suit. They pretended to take the cloth from the loom,
and worked about in the air with big scissors, and sewed with needles without
thread, and said at last: “The emperor’s new suit is ready now.”
The emperor and all his barons then came to the hall; the swindlers
held their arms up as if they held something in their hands and said: “These
are the trousers!” “This is the coat!” and “Here is the cloak!” and so on.
“They are all as light as a cobweb, and one must feel as if one had nothing at
all upon the body; but that is just the beauty of them.”
“Indeed!” said all the courtiers;
but they could not see anything, for there was nothing to be seen.
“Does it please your Majesty now to
graciously undress,” said the swindlers, “that we may assist your Majesty in
putting on the new suit before the large looking-glass?”
The emperor undressed, and the
swindlers pretended to put the new suit upon him, one piece after another; and
the emperor looked at himself in the glass from every side.
“How well they look! How well they
fit!” said all. “What a beautiful pattern! What fine colours! That is a
magnificent suit of clothes!”
The master of the ceremonies
announced that the bearers of the canopy, which was to be carried in the
procession, were ready.
“I am ready,” said the emperor.
“Does not my suit fit me marvellously?” Then he turned once more to the
looking-glass, that people should think he admired his garments.
The chamberlains, who were to carry
the train, stretched their hands to the ground as if they lifted up a train,
and pretended to hold something in their hands; they did not like people to
know that they could not see anything.
The emperor marched in the
procession under the beautiful canopy, and all who saw him in the street and
out of the windows exclaimed: “Indeed, the emperor’s new suit is incomparable!
What a long train he has! How well it fits him!” Nobody wished to let others
know he saw nothing, for then he would have been unfit for his office or too
stupid. Never emperor’s clothes were more admired.
“But he has nothing on at all,” said
a little child at last. “Good heavens! listen to the voice of an innocent
child,” said the father, and one whispered to the other what the child had
said. “But he has nothing on at all,” cried at last the whole people. That made
a deep impression upon the emperor, for it seemed to him that they were right;
but he thought to himself, “Now I must bear up to the end.” And the
chamberlains walked with still greater dignity, as if they carried the train
which did not exist.
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