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Get Sleepy Story _ The Nightingale_s song · Abide Meditation App

0:02
Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Get Sleepy, the podcast where we listen,
0:09
Speaker 1: we relax, and we get sleepy. My name's Tom, and
0:16
Speaker 1: I'm your host. Thanks so much for being here. Tonight,
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Speaker 1: Marcellus is going to read us a sleepy retelling of
0:27
Speaker 1: The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen. In this classic fairy tale,
0:34
Speaker 1: a king finds the most exquisite music may come from
0:39
Speaker 1: the beauty of nature, and that the greatest gift of
0:44
Speaker 1: art is sometimes humbly given. So, let's settle in now
0:54
Speaker 1: for tonight's story, and prepare for a rejuvenating sleep. you
1:04
Speaker 1: may need a little extra help to let go of
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Speaker 1: niggling thoughts that often play on our minds at night.
1:12
Speaker 1: I know I'm certainly someone in that boat. So, take
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Speaker 1: some deep breaths to just set your intentions towards slowing
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Speaker 1: down and releasing excess energy. As your breathing falls into
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Speaker 1: a gentle, consistent pattern, begin to picture yourself looking up
1:44
Speaker 1: at the sky. In this sky there are a scattering
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Speaker 1: of clouds drifting on the breeze. Those clouds can represent
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Speaker 1: your thoughts and worries. In just the same way that
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Speaker 1: you can watch and observe the clouds drifting by, you
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Speaker 1: can become the observer of your thoughts too. Any thought
2:24
Speaker 1: that presents itself, just gently send it up into the
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Speaker 1: sky to join with the other gently floating clouds. Way
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Speaker 1: up there in the sky, the clouds may sometimes become
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Speaker 1: densely packed together, especially when the mind is filled with
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Speaker 1: thoughts and worries. But no matter how overcast the sky becomes,
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Speaker 1: those clouds will eventually part and the breeze will disperse
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Speaker 1: them and carry them away. So as you enjoy each
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Speaker 1: calming exhale, observe the clouds as they disperse And drift off.
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Speaker 2: Out of sight.
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Speaker 1: With the clouds clearing. More and more. The deep radiant
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Speaker 1: blue of the sky. Fills the scene above. And you
3:53
Speaker 1: sense the warming touch.
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Speaker 2: Of the sun.
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Speaker 1: Glowing over your skin. You can simply focus on relaxation
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Speaker 1: and rest as you listen along to Marcellus telling us
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Speaker 1: this classic story tonight. You can drift off into dreamland
4:23
Speaker 1: any time. We begin long ago, in a far away
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Speaker 1: fairy tale world.
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Speaker 2: Once upon a time, there was a vast kingdom of
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Speaker 2: legendary beauty. It stretched a great distance, surrounded by soaring
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Speaker 2: cliffs that bordered deep blue-green seas. And it was filled
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Speaker 2: with peaceful woodlands and fields of wildflowers. On its eastern
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Speaker 2: side lay a thriving city, At the center of this
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Speaker 2: dazzling city was a palace, so exquisite that travelers spoke
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Speaker 2: of it far and wide. Everyone who lived in the
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Speaker 2: kingdom felt very fortunate, because they were sure they had
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Speaker 2: the best of everything the world had to offer. The
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Speaker 2: majestic palace was decorated at every turn, with richly embroidered tapestries,
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Speaker 2: gleaming marble, and the finest gold and silver finishes. The
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Speaker 2: king and his court led a merry existence there, taking
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Speaker 2: long walks in this beautiful palace gardens by day, and
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Speaker 2: feasting in the glistening ballroom each night. The king himself
6:28
Speaker 2: was perhaps a bit haughty, but he was also known
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Speaker 2: to be a reasonable and wise man. His humble subjects
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Speaker 2: were content enough, and the nobles who enjoyed his great
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Speaker 2: riches were very happy indeed. One fine spring day, the
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Speaker 2: king suggested that all the lords and ladies of the
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Speaker 2: court should take a picnic into the woods. They could
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Speaker 2: roam the enchanting shady paths and dip their feet in
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Speaker 2: the bubbling streams. The courtiers thought it was a wonderful idea,
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Speaker 2: and many delicious treats were packed in baskets to be
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Speaker 2: carried along. Having spent most of their time in the
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Speaker 2: carefully tended castle gardens, the lords and ladies were delighted
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Speaker 2: by the charms of the woodland. As they passed under
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Speaker 2: swaying branches, through rustling leaves, and next to sparkling streams
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Speaker 2: and waterfalls, they marveled at the sights and sounds of
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Speaker 2: the forest. The group of merrymakers had been walking for
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Speaker 2: a time when, suddenly, they all stopped in their tracks.
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Speaker 2: A sweet melody drifted through the trees above their heads.
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Speaker 2: It was lighter than the ringing of a silver bell
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Speaker 2: and far more beautiful. What is making this glorious song,
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Speaker 2: they all wondered. everyone could hear that it must be
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Speaker 2: coming from a bird. But they had never heard bird
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Speaker 2: song this lovely and didn't know where the bird was hidden.
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Speaker 2: But then, one of the servant girls pointed to a
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Speaker 2: place above their heads. Look up there. It's a nightingale,
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Speaker 2: she said. perched up high on a branch, was a
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Speaker 2: rather unremarkable-looking brown bird. It was not at all surprising
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Speaker 2: that the nobles hadn't seen it, because it blended right
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Speaker 2: into the colors of the forest. Surely not, said the king.
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Speaker 2: That bird looks quite ordinary. As if in response... The
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Speaker 2: small bird trilled another lovely stream of notes, and everyone
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Speaker 2: in the court was amazed. It was the loveliest music
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Speaker 2: they'd ever heard. This creature is a marvel. I must
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Speaker 2: have them sing at my court, the king said. Look here, Nightingale,
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Speaker 2: he continued, turning to the bird. As the king, I
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Speaker 2: demand you perform for us this evening. Will you come
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Speaker 2: to the palace? The nightingale ceased his singing and nodded
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Speaker 2: his head graciously. The forest is really the best place
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Speaker 2: to hear my music. However, it is my honor to
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Speaker 2: sing for you at the court if you wish, your highness.
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Speaker 2: Having said this, the little bird hopped down from his
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Speaker 2: place atop the tree and landed lightly on the shoulder
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Speaker 2: of the servant girl. The group of lords and ladies
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Speaker 2: was now very excited to prepare for the evening's festivities
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Speaker 2: because they all were in great anticipation of the entertainment.
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Speaker 2: Further exploration of the forest was quickly forgotten and the
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Speaker 2: company turned toward the palace to make their way home,
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Speaker 2: talking the entire way about what they would wear to
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Speaker 2: dinner that night. When evening fell, the great ballroom in
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Speaker 2: the castle was prepared. Every table was laden with rich
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Speaker 2: cheeses and freshly baked breads. There were exotic fruits, and
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Speaker 2: delicately prepared vegetables that had come straight from the castle garden.
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Speaker 2: The company was even more dazzling. Ladies wore their finest
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Speaker 2: silks and velvets in all colors of the rainbow. They
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Speaker 2: dripped with pearls and their hands sparkled with twinkling jewels.
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Speaker 2: All the aristocrats were on their best behavior. because they
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Speaker 2: were very much looking forward to hearing more music from
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Speaker 2: the magical nightingale they found in the forest. When the
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Speaker 2: lavish dinner had been served, a hush fell over the room.
12:05
Speaker 2: The king's lord-in-waiting walked in, wearing his finest attire. The
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Speaker 2: nightingale was perched on his arm. looking very simple and
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Speaker 2: modest amid the elegant ballroom and the lavishly dressed people
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Speaker 2: of the court. Still, the little bird was not self-conscious.
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Speaker 2: The Lord set him on a velvet-colored pillow that had
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Speaker 2: been placed in the middle of the room where he
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Speaker 2: faced the people of the court. Then he sang And oh,
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Speaker 2: what music he made. It was not a tune anyone
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Speaker 2: had heard before. Still, it was familiar. This melody was
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Speaker 2: like the whisper of the grass in the breeze and
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Speaker 2: the rustling of the wind through the forest. It was
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Speaker 2: a song full of golden sunrises and orange sunsets and
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Speaker 2: the waves at the cliffs. Nobody can say exactly how
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Speaker 2: long the nightingale serenaded the court, but it was late
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Speaker 2: in the night when he finally trilled his final melody.
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Speaker 2: The lords and ladies were still hanging on every note
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Speaker 2: with bated breath. For a moment after the nightingale finished,
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Speaker 2: the audience sat in utter silence, There was hardly a
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Speaker 2: dry eye in the room. Then the guests broke into
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Speaker 2: wild applause. The king nodded at the bird with an
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Speaker 2: approving look and said, Nightingale, your song is the most
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Speaker 2: beautiful music we have heard. It must grace the court
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Speaker 2: every night. I command you to stay with us, where
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Speaker 2: all the finest treasures of the kingdom belong. The nightingale
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Speaker 2: could not refuse a king, and so it was that
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Speaker 2: he complied and stayed at court. As the days continued,
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Speaker 2: he was no longer allowed to return to the forest.
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Speaker 2: In fact, he never ventured past the edge of the
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Speaker 2: well-kept gardens, and his song was now heard only at
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Speaker 2: night while the nobles were feasting. Weeks passed, and the
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Speaker 2: nightingale's evening concerts got shorter. He was slowly becoming exhausted
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Speaker 2: from the nightly entertainment, and he missed his life in
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Speaker 2: the forest. There was nothing inspiring for him in the
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Speaker 2: glittering halls of the palace. The king was displeased at
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Speaker 2: his lack of stamina. and the lords and ladies began
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Speaker 2: to take the little brown bird for granted, complaining that
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Speaker 2: the nightly concerts were not good enough. One day, the
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Speaker 2: king summoned the best clockmaker in the city and gave
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Speaker 2: him a special task. I need you to make a
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Speaker 2: mechanical nightingale that will sing all the time, the king ordered.
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Speaker 2: No expense shall be spared. The artificial bird will be
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Speaker 2: far finer than the real one. Make it from gold
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Speaker 2: and encrust it with the finest jewels. People will speak
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Speaker 2: of our glittering songbird far and wide. The clockmaker was
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Speaker 2: eager to prove himself to the king. Being a very
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Speaker 2: clever engineer, He was able to build the bird in
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Speaker 2: a month's time, fitting it with the most extravagant materials.
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Speaker 2: When the device was ready, the clockmaker was summoned to
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Speaker 2: the court to show the king what he had made.
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Speaker 2: He brought the mechanical bird in a beautiful, gilded cage
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Speaker 2: and was given an audience in the throne room. he
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Speaker 2: opened the cage and, bowing low, he produced a small
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Speaker 2: jeweled key and inserted it into the bird's neck, winding
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Speaker 2: it slowly. When he removed the key, the sparkling bird
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Speaker 2: sprang to life and lifted its wings. It opened its
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Speaker 2: tiny metal beak, and the notes of a glorious waltz
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Speaker 2: poured out. The people in the king's throne room were
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Speaker 2: delighted with this clever bird. They clapped their hands when
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Speaker 2: the song was over and requested an encore. Over and
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Speaker 2: over and over, the clockmaker wound the bird and made
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Speaker 2: it sing. Its precious stones dazzled the eyes. and the
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Speaker 2: music charmed the court airs. The king was very pleased.
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Speaker 2: He gave the clockmaker a chest of precious coins and
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Speaker 2: sent him on his way, keeping the marvelous, gilded bird
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Speaker 2: to entertain him. That evening, the king requested that both
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Speaker 2: the mechanical bird and the little brown nightingale grace the
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Speaker 2: banquet in the ballroom The only thing better than having
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Speaker 2: one bird to serenade us is having two, he said.
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Speaker 2: When the nobles had finished their meal, the Lord-in-waiting appeared
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Speaker 2: with the gilded cage of the mechanical bird in his
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Speaker 2: left hand and with the somber little nightingale perched on
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Speaker 2: his right hand. A hush fell over the room as
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Speaker 2: he set down the cage on a pedestal He held
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Speaker 2: up his right hand over the brown nightingale's velvet pillow
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Speaker 2: and the bird fluttered onto it and prepared to perform.
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Speaker 2: The Lord-in-waiting then produced the jeweled key and showed it
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Speaker 2: to all who were present. An excited hum was heard
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Speaker 2: from the guests around the room. The Lord then dramatically
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Speaker 2: wound the bird and released the key, and the mechanical
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Speaker 2: bird began to sing its perfectly timed melody. The brown
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Speaker 2: nightingale attempted to join in with its own trill, but
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Speaker 2: it couldn't seem to figure out how. It was not
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Speaker 2: that the automated bird was unpredictable. In fact, it was
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Speaker 2: quite the opposite. It emitted perfectly timed, pretty waltzes. The
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Speaker 2: problem was that the real nightingale did not sing such precious,
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Speaker 2: measured songs. The sounds of the forest and the ocean...
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Speaker 2: did not harmonize with those of the artificial bird, and
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Speaker 2: his live companion soon became flustered and ceased his song entirely. Meanwhile,
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Speaker 2: the courtiers were delighted with the clever waltzes the mechanical
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Speaker 2: bird was singing. They leapt from their seats and began
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Speaker 2: to dance, calling to the Lord and waiting again and
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Speaker 2: again to wind the jeweled bird and play another tune.
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Speaker 2: In the commotion, the true songbird was forgotten. And, eventually,
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Speaker 2: the king waved impatiently at one of his other servants
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Speaker 2: to carry the live bird away. The lord and ladies
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Speaker 2: made merry far into the night, listening to as many
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Speaker 2: songs as they wanted. This marvelous new metal bird never tried,
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Speaker 2: and its song never ceased until the people were too
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Speaker 2: sleepy to dance anymore. After that, every night, the Lord-in-waiting
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Speaker 2: would bring the precious mechanical bird to dinner. And, as
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Speaker 2: the days went on, all the courtiers completely forgot about
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Speaker 2: the real Nightingale. After several nights of being ignored, the
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Speaker 2: brown bird left the castle and flew toward the forest.
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Speaker 2: As he fled, he passed the servant girl who was
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Speaker 2: picking herbs in the garden. She looked up and asked him, Nightingale,
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Speaker 2: where are you going? He perched on a nearby trellis
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Speaker 2: and said, I am returning to my home in the
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Speaker 2: forest because I am no longer needed or wanted here.
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Speaker 2: In truth, I have missed my life in the woodland
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Speaker 2: and I am glad to retire from my life at court.
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Speaker 2: Although she knew she would miss him, the servant girl understood.
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Speaker 2: She waved goodbye and promised to seek him out next
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Speaker 2: time she walked through the forest to visit her mother.
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Speaker 2: With that, the nightingale left the palace grounds. Incredibly, not
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Speaker 2: one other person noticed that he was gone. The king
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Speaker 2: and his nobles were completely fixated on the charms of
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Speaker 2: his bejeweled replacement. In fact, the king had become so
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Speaker 2: attached to the constant bird song that the mechanical bird
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Speaker 2: was also placed in his room at night. The bird
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Speaker 2: sang him to sleep each evening. Indeed, without the melodies
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Speaker 2: from his glittering bird, it was said the king could
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Speaker 2: not slumber at all. Life at the court went on
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Speaker 2: in this manner for many months. and the story of
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Speaker 2: the original Nightingale became a distant memory. The artificial bird
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Speaker 2: played its limited repertoire of songs countless times. Hundreds, maybe
23:54
Speaker 2: thousands of performances passed, and it continued to sing. It
24:02
Speaker 2: was truly a centerpiece of life in the palace, and
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Speaker 2: it never slowed down. One fateful day, however, the mechanical
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Speaker 2: bird finally gave out. It was during the evening banquet
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Speaker 2: that it happened. The Lord-in-waiting wound the bird for the
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Speaker 2: tenth or fifteenth time that night, and it began to sing. Then,
24:36
Speaker 2: suddenly its wings froze midair. and its little beak stuck
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Speaker 2: all the way open. Then the bird warbled and stopped.
24:52
Speaker 2: The room fell silent as the entire court turned to
24:56
Speaker 2: stare at the gilded cage. Flustered, the Lord-in-waiting patted its head.
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Speaker 2: He tried to turn the key again, He spoke to
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Speaker 2: the bird encouragingly, even though it was made of metal.
25:17
Speaker 2: It was all to no avail. It had popped a
25:20
Speaker 2: spring or lost a cog. Whatever the case, the golden
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Speaker 2: bird could sing no more. The king demanded that the
25:35
Speaker 2: clockmaker who created the bird be brought to him to
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Speaker 2: repair it. Alas, the clockmaker had used the riches the
25:45
Speaker 2: king paid him to leave the city in search of
25:48
Speaker 2: bigger and better things. One craftsman after another was brought
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Speaker 2: to diagnose and fix the broken bird, but each one
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Speaker 2: failed and was sent away. It was no use. It
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Speaker 2: could not be repaired. Now, deprived of his soothing bedtime song,
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Speaker 2: the king fell into a deep melancholy. He took to
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Speaker 2: his bed, but could not seem to sleep. The palace
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Speaker 2: cook devised all manner of tempting delicacies to send to
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Speaker 2: his chamber, but he had no appetite. Elegant cakes, sweet fruits,
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Speaker 2: delicious hot chocolates, and even his favorite candies were returned
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Speaker 2: untouched to the kitchen. For many days and nights, the
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Speaker 2: noble stood watched by his bedside, trying to raise his
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Speaker 2: spirits with stories, games, and entertainment. Still, he would not
27:08
Speaker 2: be consoled. they eventually gave up and left him in peace,
27:16
Speaker 2: tiptoeing out of his room and quietly closing the door.
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Speaker 2: Things were looking rather hopeless for the king. As it happened, however,
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Speaker 2: there came a day when the servant girl found herself
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Speaker 2: traveling through the woods to visit her mother. On the
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Speaker 2: way home, She was delighted to hear the familiar strains
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Speaker 2: of Nightingale's song coming down through the trees. Nightingale, please
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Speaker 2: show yourself, she pleaded. Our king needs your help. He
27:57
Speaker 2: is pining for your music and cannot be comforted. The
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Speaker 2: little brown bird hopped down to a branch above her
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Speaker 2: head and nodded obligingly. Take me to the place, and
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Speaker 2: I will do what I can, he said. He fluttered
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Speaker 2: to perch on her arm, and with that, the pair
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Speaker 2: proceeded through the woods and back toward the palace, where
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Speaker 2: the king still languished alone in his bedchamber. When they
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Speaker 2: reached the gardens, the nightingale said, Do not bring me inside.
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Speaker 2: I will see the king, but I want to speak
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Speaker 2: with him alone. The girl understood and waved farewell as
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Speaker 2: the bird took flight and landed on the sill of
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Speaker 2: the king's open window. Looking inside, the nightingale could see
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Speaker 2: him lying in his canopy bed, staring at the wall.
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Speaker 2: He was a shadow of the man the nightingale remembered.
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Speaker 2: Summoning his most heartfelt song, the nightingale opened his beak
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Speaker 2: and quietly began to sing. Once again, after so long,
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Speaker 2: the sad king heard the unparalleled music of the natural world.
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Speaker 2: The melody spoke again of the whisper of the grass.
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Speaker 2: and the breeze and the rustling of the wind through
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Speaker 2: the forest. The bird once again sang sweetly of golden
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Speaker 2: sunrises and orange sunsets and the waves and the cliffs.
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Speaker 2: With each note, the king felt his vitality returning. A
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Speaker 2: rush of happiness flooded his heart, and the very stars
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Speaker 2: seemed to shine more brightly in the sky above the
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Speaker 2: gardens outside his window. The nightingale sang on and on,
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Speaker 2: and the king wept tears of pure joy. He remembered
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Speaker 2: how much he loved the world outside his room, and
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Speaker 2: he wanted to be out enjoying it once more. When
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Speaker 2: the little brown bird finally rested, the king spoke. Nightingale,
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Speaker 2: I beg you, return to the palace and sing for
30:53
Speaker 2: us again. No golden bird could ever truly replace you.
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Speaker 2: and I cannot imagine losing your music a second time.
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Speaker 2: The nightingale cocked his head to the side thoughtfully and responded,
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Speaker 2: Your Highness, I will return to sing for you on
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Speaker 2: one condition. I must be free to come and go
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Speaker 2: as I please. My music is not meant for grand
31:27
Speaker 2: rooms and velvet pillows. My songs are at their best
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Speaker 2: when they are freely given. The king gladly agreed to
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Speaker 2: the nightingale's conditions. After that, the sweet little bird returned
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Speaker 2: to the court to serenade the lords and ladies from
31:50
Speaker 2: time to time. And his concerts were considered a rare
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Speaker 2: and special privilege. But the king had a special secret.
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Speaker 2: Every night, when his lord-in-waiting had withdrawn and he was
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Speaker 2: snugly tucked into his royal bed, the nightingale will appear
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Speaker 2: at the window of the royal bedchamber and serenade the
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Speaker 2: king to sleep. So it was that joyfulness was restored
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Speaker 2: to the kingdom. the king was reminded of his love
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Speaker 2: for the beautiful natural world around his palace. Forevermore, each night,
32:44
Speaker 2: he would drift away on a sea of dreams while
32:49
Speaker 2: listening to a very unassuming little bird sing the most
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Speaker 2: beautiful melodies he'd ever known.
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Speaker 1: This is the first time I've ever seen this.
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Speaker 2: This is the first time I've ever seen this.
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Speaker 1: This is the first time I've ever seen this.
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Speaker 2: This is the first time I've ever seen this. Thank you.
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Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you.
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Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you.
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Speaker 2: Thank you.
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Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you.
37:33
Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you.
38:52
Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you.
39:58
Speaker 2: You