Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-06-16
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! ! THE NIGHTINGALE NEST !
M BY Theophile Gautier. I
ID They Sang the Swan Song I
n at Last. !
BY Theophile Gsutier.
- - - ... - ~ ~ S

their home. In the springtime they held
wonderful concerts there. Every leaf
concealed a nest. every tree was bursting
with music The blackbirds chirped and
the nightingales trilled and warbled their
joyous songs.
But within the castle there were two
fair maidens who sang even more sweet
ly than the birds without in the park.
Il you had seen Fleurette and Isabeau
on Sundays; dressed in their splendid
robes, but for the snowy whiteness of
their shoulders you would have mistaken
them for angels. And when they sang
the old Sire Maulevrier. their uncle,
would sometimes hold their hands, fear
full lest the fancy take them to soar
away into the blue heavens
They lived retired from the world with
only Valentine, the little faxen haired
page, and the old Sire Maulevrier for
companions. Their lives passed along in
the gentle poetic occupations of maidens,
feeding the birds in the park, tending
their flowers and studying the masters.
They kept afar from the eyes of the
world. But neither the nightingales nor
the rose can remain concealed. Their
song and their perfume betray them
When but mere children they had come
to the manor house. Their window
| opened upon the park, so that many a
time the song of the birds had lulled
them to sleep. Old Blondian, the bard,
had taught them to play upon the ivory
keys of the spinet almost before they
had learned to walk. 1t had been their
only plaything. So they had learned to
sing almost before they could speak, and
they sang as freely as others breathed
the air.
One evening in May the tive cousins
were singing a duet. Never before had
they sung so well. A nightingale from
the park, perched upon rosebush. was
listening to them attentively. When the
duet was finished, he flew to the window
and in his own sweet nightingale Ian
guage challenged them to singing con-
test. The. maidens accepted the chal-
lenge and bade him begin.
The nightingale's little. throat swelled,
his wings futtered, his whole body trem-
bled. His voice swelled loud and clear
into the cool evening air. 1t was a soft.
melodious song, with charming trills and
pearly cadences. One would almost have
thought his voice had wings. And when
he stopped, sure of having won the vic
tory, the two maidens sang. Better than
ever before they sang. The nightingale's
song, compared to theirs. seemed like the
chirping of sparrow.
Again the nightingale tried. He sang
a mournful love song that ended with
one supreme chord far beyond the range
of human voice. FIeurette and Isabeau
softly turned the pages of their music,
and when they sang again st. Cecilia,
who was listening to them up in heaven,
grew pale with jealousy.
The nightingale made one last, SUI
preme effort. but the contest had ex-
hausted him-his breath failed him, his
feathers stood erect. his eyes closed in
spite of him-he was dying.
81 have lost" he murmured to the
maidens, 'and it has cost me dear, for I
am dying. | leave a nest with three lit
tie ones in 1.-THE third sweetbrier bush
on the road leading to the lake. Bring
them UP for me and teach them to sing
as only you can sing" And with that he
died.
For long time they mourned him, for
they loved his sweet music. Then they
called Valentine, the little page with
golden hair, and It'd him where the nest
was. And Vale1 inc. who was mis-
chievous little rogue, easily found the
place. He put the nest in his bosom and
carried it safely back to the castle.
Fleurette and Isabeau awaited him i'm
patiently, leaning over the balcony.
The maidens took pity on the poor lit
tie orphans and tended them most grace
fully. And when they had grown a little
older they taught them how to sing, as
they promised to the dying nightingale.
1t was wonderful to see how tame they
were and how well they sang. They
would fly about the room and perch now
on Isabeau's shoulders. now on Fleur-
cites head, singing most beautifully all
the while.
The two cousins retired more and
more from the world. Sometimes in the
evening the fresh breezes waited super
natural melodies from their room. The
nightingales would take their part in the
concert, for they hed learned to sing al
most as well as their mistresses.
The maidens grew thinner and thinner.
The rosy freshness of their cheeks began
to fade away. They were pale now and
almost transparent. Only when they
sang a bright red spot burned on their
cheeks, but it disappeared again as soon
as they stopped, leaving them pale and
trembling. In vain the Sire Maulevrier
urge.l them to stop.
Their singing became more beautiful
each day. Nothing like it had ever been
heard in this world. 1t was easy for
any one to see that the music was slowly
breaking its frail instruments.
The maidens even felt this themselves
and for time gave up their singing.
But one night the window was open,
the birds We're singing in the park, and
the breeze was stirring gently. There
was so much music in the mir that almost
of one accord they started to sing. 1t
was the song of the swan, a wonderful
Kong, full of mournful passages and ris-
ing to heights inaccessible to the human
voice As they sang the red spots in
their cheeks grew larger and larger. The
three nightingales looked at them and
listened to them with singular anxiety.
They beat their wings and flew about
restlessly.
. The two cousins arrived at the last
chord of the piece. Their voices rose to
a strange melody that was no longer of |
this world. The two maidens had died. |
Their souls had departed with the last |
note.
The nightingales flew straight to heav-
en- to carry that wonderful song to the
good Lord, who kept them all three in
paradise to sing for him the music of the
two cousins.
And later God made those three night
ingaIes into the souls of Palestrina, Ci-
marosa ard the Chevalier Gluck.-Trans-