Italian · Intermediate
Adapted from The Nightingale
An emperor discovers the song of a living nightingale, then learns its value after replacing it with a machine.
Read and listen in Italian, with English alongside.
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Scene 1 · Intermediate
Questa storia accadde in Cina moltissimi anni fa, quando l'imperatore e tutte le persone della sua corte erano cinesi. Conviene raccontarla adesso, prima che venga dimenticata.
This story took place in China many, many years ago, when the emperor and everyone at his court were Chinese. It is best to tell it now, before it is forgotten.
Il palazzo dell'imperatore era il più bello del mondo. Costruito interamente di porcellana, era preziosissimo, ma anche così fragile che bisognava fare attenzione ogni volta che lo si toccava. Nel giardino crescevano fiori straordinari, con piccoli campanelli d'argento legati intorno. Il loro tintinnio richiamava l'attenzione di chi passava, così nessuno poteva ignorare quei fiori.
The emperor’s palace was the most beautiful in the world. Built entirely of porcelain, it was extremely precious, but also so fragile that everyone had to be careful whenever they touched it. Extraordinary flowers grew in the garden, with little silver bells tied around them. Their tinkling caught the attention of passersby, so no one could ignore the flowers.
Ogni cosa nel giardino era meravigliosa. E il giardino era tanto vasto che nemmeno il giardiniere sapeva dove finisse.
Everything in the garden was wonderful. And the garden was so vast that even the gardener didn’t know where it ended.
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