The Emperor's New Clothes Many years ago there lived an Emperor who loved new clothes. Everyday he had his tailor make new clothes, and he enjoyed changing many times a day. He seemed to care for nothing else, not his army, not his people, not even his country. What he cared about was which clothes he wore. One day two weavers came to the castle. They said they could weave the most beautiful and colorful clothes in the world. They also said that the clothes they made were very, very special and could be seen only by wise people and not by fools. However, nobody knew where the weavers came from 1
or who they were. In fact they were swindlers. The Emperor became interested in the clothes these men made so he gave the two men a lot of money in advance to begin their work. Two looms were set in one of the rooms in the castle and the weavers began their work. The weavers pretended that they were working very hard, but in fact they sat in front of the empty machine every day pulling and pushing invisible thread. Meanwhile, hearty meals were prepared for them three times a day and sometimes they were given extra gold coins by the Emperor so they would work harder. 2
Five days had passed. The Emperor sent one of his servants, who was known to be the wisest among all, to see the progress of the weavers' work. When the servant walked into the room he was shocked to see nothing in the looms. The two swindlers asked him if he thought the colors were beautiful. Being afraid to be called a fool, the man said, "Oh, yes. Oh, the colors and patterns. This is the best in the world! I am sure our Emperor will be very pleased with this." When the man went back to the Emperor he reported that he had never seen such beautiful cloth. It was too beautiful to be described by words. The Emperor was very pleased to hear the man's report. On the seventh day the Emperor sent another able 3
man to the weaving room. It was the same with this man. Again he could not see anything in the looms but being afraid to be called a fool, he said to the Emperor that it was the best cloth he had ever seen. Finally on the tenth day the weavers came out of the weaving room and brought the invisible clothes before the Emperor. "What? I don't see anything! Does this mean I am a fool? No, this is impossible!" thought the Emperor very shocked. "Do these clothes please you, your Majesty?" asked one of the swindlers. "Oh, yes, yes. They are... beautiful. Yes, they are splendid! I am more than satisfied!" said the bewildered Emperor. 4
"And now, we would like to ask your Majesty to try them on. They are so light that you will feel as if you are wearing nothing when you put them on, because they are made of special material," said one of the swindlers, holding up his empty arms. Then they approached the Emperor, helped him to take off his clothes, and pretended to put on the new clothes. "What a wonderful suit it is!" cried out all the people at once. "How beautiful the patterns are!" "How unique the colors are!" "How nicely it fits the Emperor!" The naked Emperor stood in front of the mirror. Now he was ready for the procession. 5
By now, most people in the city had heard of the Emperor's new clothes. Thousands of people were already standing along the street waiting for the procession. "My, what beautiful clothes the Emperor is wearing!" "This is the best of all among his clothes!" cried everyone. Of course, no one wanted others to know that they could not see any clothes. 6
Suddenly, a small boy in the crowd shouted, "Why! The Emperor is not wearing anything!" Soon, everyone started whispering, "That child is right. He has nothing on." Finally, the whole crowd cried, "He has nothing on!" The Emperor heard the crowd and knew they were right. He felt very embarrassed and foolish, but he was too proud to discontinue his procession. So he and his men continued marching until the end. 7
For a few days after the procession the Emperor reflected upon his selfish conduct in the past. And one day he called the boy, who had spoken the truth, to his castle and rewarded him for his honesty. The Emperor eventually came to work hard for his people and became a good ruler of his country. 8