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The Emperor's New Clothes

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Ein Kind, das belustig auf etwas außerhalb des Bildes zeigt. Dahinter ein Mann, der lächelt.

The emperor is sold clothes that only fools do not see. Child exposes him as naked. The people now recognize it too. The emperor does not let himself notice anything.

Der Froschkönig oder der eiserne Heinrich
Katze und Maus in Gesellschaft
Marienkind
Von einem, der auszog, das Fürchten zu lernen
Der Wolf und die sieben jungen Geißlein
Der treue Johannes
Der gute Handel
Der wunderliche Spielmann
Die zwölf Brüder
Das Lumpengesindel
Brüderchen und Schwesterchen
Rapunzel
Die drei Männlein im Walde
Die drei Spinnerinnen
Hänsel und Gretel
Die drei Schlangenblätter
Die weiße Schlange
Strohhalm, Kohle und Bohne
Von dem Fischer und seiner Frau
Das tapfere Schneiderlein
Aschenputtel
Das Rätsel
Von dem Mäuschen, Vögelchen und der Bratwurst
Frau Holle
Die sieben Raben
Rotkäppchen
Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten
Der singende Knochen
Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren
Läuschen und Flöhchen
Das Mädchen ohne Hände
Der gescheite Hans
Die drei Sprachen
Die kluge Else
Der Schneider im Himmel
Tischchen deck dich, Goldesel und Knüppel aus dem Sack
Daumesdick
Die Hochzeit der Frau Füchsin
Die Wichtelmänner
Der Räuberbräutigam
Herr Korbes
Der Herr Gevatter
Frau Trude
Der Gevatter Tod
Daumerlings Wanderschaft
Fitchers Vogel
Von dem Machandelboom
Der alte Sultan
Die sechs Schwäne
Dornröschen
Fundevogel
König Drosselbart
Schneewittchen
Der Ranzen, das Hütlein und das Hörnlein
Rumpelstilzchen
Der liebste Roland
Der goldene Vogel
Der Hund und der Sperling
Der Frieder und das Katherlieschen
Die zwei Brüder
Das Bürle
Die Bienenkönigin
Die drei Federn
Die goldene Gans
Allerleirauh
Häsichenbraut
Die zwölf Jäger
Von dem Sommer- und Wintergarten
Jorinde und Joringel
Die drei Glückskinder
Sechse kommen durch die ganze Welt
Der Wolf und der Mensch
Der Wolf und der Fuchs
Der Fuchs und die Frau Gevatterin
Der Fuchs und die Katze
Die Nelke
Das kluge Gretel
Der alte Großvater und der Enkel
Die Wassernixe
Von dem Tode des Hühnchens
Bruder Lustig
Der Spielhansl
Hans im Glück
Hans heiratet
Die Goldkinder
Der Fuchs und die Gänse
Der Arme und der Reiche
Das singende, springende Löweneckerchen
Die Gänsemagd
Der junge Riese
Das Erdmännchen
Der König vom goldenen Berg
Die Rabe
Die kluge Bauerntochter
Der alte Hildebrand
Die drei Vögelchen
Das Wasser des Lebens
Doktor Allwissend
Der Geist im Glas
Des Teufels rußiger Bruder
Der Bärenhäuter
Der Zaunkönig und der Bär
Der süße Brei
Die klugen Leute
Märchen von der Unke
Der arme Müllerbursch und das Kätzchen
Die beiden Wanderer
Hans mein Igel
Das Totenhemdchen
Der Jude im Dorn
Der gelernte Jäger
Der Dreschflegel vom Himmel
Die beiden Königskinder
Vom klugen Schneiderlein
Die klare Sonne bringts an den Tag
Das blaue Licht
Das eigensinnige Kind
Die drei Feldscherer
Die sieben Schwaben
Die drei Handwerksburschen
Der Königssohn, der sich vor nichts fürchtet
Der Krautesel
Die Alte im Wald
Die drei Brüder
Der Teufel und seine Großmutter
Ferdinand getreu und Ferdinand ungetreu
Der Eisenofen
Die faule Spinnerin
Die vier kunstreichen Brüder
Einäuglein, Zweiäuglein und Dreiäuglein
Die schöne Katrinelje und Pif Paf Poltrie
Der Fuchs und das Pferd
Die zertanzten Schuhe
Die sechs Diener
Die weiße und die schwarze Braut
Der Eisenhans
Die drei schwarzen Prinzessinnen
Knoist und seine drei Söhne
Das Mädchen von Brakel
Das Hausgesinde
Das Lämmchen und Fischchen
Simeliberg
Auf Reisen gehen
Das Eselein
Der undankbare Sohn
Die Rübe
Das junggeglühte Männlein
Des Herrn und des Teufels Getier
Der Hahnenbalken
Die alte Bettelfrau
Die drei Faulen
Das Hirtenbüblein
Die Sterntaler
Der gestohlene Heller
Die Brautschau
Die Schlickerlinge
Der Sperling und seine vier Kinder
Das Märchen vom Schlaraffenland
Das Dietmarsische Lügenmärchen
Rätselmärchen
Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot
Der kluge Knecht
Der gläserne Sarg
Der faule Heinz
Der Vogel Greif
Der starke Hans
Das Bürle im Himmel
Die hagere Liese
Das Waldhaus
Lieb und Leid teilen
Der Zaunkönig
Die Scholle
Rohrdommel und Wiedehopf
Die Eule
Der Mond
Die Lebenszeit
Die Boten des Todes
Meister Pfriem
Die Gänsehirtin am Brunnen
Die ungleichen Kinder Evas
Die Nixe im Teich
Die Geschenke des kleinen Volkes
Der Riese und der Schneider
Der Nagel
Der arme Junge im Grab
Die wahre Braut
Der Hase und der Igel
Spindel, Weberschiffchen und Nadel
Der Bauer und der Teufel
Die Brosamen auf dem Tisch
Das Meerhäschen
Der Meisterdieb
Der Trommler
Die Kornähre
Der Grabhügel
Oll Rinkrank
Die Kristallkugel
Jungfrau Maleen
Die Stiefel von Büffelleder
Der goldene Schlüssel

Many years ago there lived an Emperor who was so terribly fond of new clothes that he spent all his money on being properly dressed. He cared nothing for his soldiers, cared nothing for theatre, and loved it was not for him to go into the forest except to show off his new clothes. He had a coat for every hour of the day, and just as a king was said to be in council, so here they always said, „Der Kaiser is in the dressing room!“

The big city where he lived was very lively. Many strangers arrived every day, and one day two swindlers who pretended to be weavers also came and said that they knew how to weave the most beautiful stuff imaginable. Not only are the colors and pattern unusually beautiful, but the clothes sewn by the witness should have the wonderful quality of being invisible to anyone who is unfit for office or who is unpardonably stupid.

"These would be magnificent clothes," thought the Emperor; if I had such, I could find out which men in my kingdom are not fit for the office they hold, I could distinguish the clever from the stupid! Yes, the stuff must be woven for me at once!” He gave the two scammers a large bounty to begin their work.

They also set up two looms, pretending to work, but they didn't have anything on the chair. Even so, they demanded the finest silk and the richest gold, but they pocketed it and worked on the empty chairs late into the night.

"Now I would like to know how far you have come with the witness!" thought the Emperor, but he felt uneasy when he thought that no one who was stupid or unfit for his office could see it. Though he thought he had nothing to fear for himself, he wished first to send another to see how things stood. Everyone in the whole city knew what special power the stuff had, and everyone was eager to see how bad or stupid their neighbor was.

"I want to send my old, honest minister to the weavers," thought the Emperor, he is the best judge of how the material looks, because he has sense, and no one does his job better than he does!

Now the good old minister went into the hall where the two swindlers were sitting and working on the empty looms. "God protect us!" thought the old minister and widened his eyes. "I can't see anything!" But he didn't say that.

Both scammers asked him to come closer and asked if it wasn't a nice pattern and colors. Then they pointed to the empty chair, and the poor old minister kept staring, but he could see nothing, for there was nothing there. 'Lord God,' he thought, am I being stupid? I never believed that, and nobody is allowed to know that! Should I not be fit for my office? No, it's not okay for me to say I can't see that stuff!"

"Well, you say nothing to that?" asked one of the weavers.

„Oh, it's cute, very sweet!“ replied the old minister, looking through his glasses. „This pattern and these colors! – Yes, I will tell the Emperor that I like it very much!“

„Well, that pleases us!“ said both weavers, and then they named the colors and explained the strange pattern. The old minister paid close attention so that he could say the same thing when he came back to the emperor, and he did.

Now the scammers demanded more money, more silk and more gold for weaving. They put everything in their own pockets, no thread came on the loom, but they continued to work on the empty looms as before.

The Emperor soon sent another able statesman to see how things were going with the weaving and whether the stuff was soon ready; but he felt just like the first one, he looked and looked; but because there was nothing but the loom, he could see nothing.

"'Isn't that a particularly gorgeous and pretty piece of stuff?'" asked the two scammers, showing and explaining the gorgeous pattern that wasn't there.

'I'm not stupid,' thought the man; So it's my good office, for which I'm not fit! That would be strange enough, but you don't have to let it be known!” So he praised the stuff he didn't see, assuring them of his delight at the beautiful color and pattern. "Yes, it is very lovely!" he said to the Emperor.

All the people of the city spoke of the glorious witness. Now the emperor wanted to see it for himself while it was still on the loom. With a whole band of chosen men, among whom were the two honest statesmen who had been there before, he went to the two cunning deceivers, who were now weaving with all their might, but without fiber or thread.

"Yes, isn't that splendid?" said the two honest statesmen. "Do you want to see what pattern, what colors, Your Majesty?" and then they pointed to the empty loom, thinking the others might see the stuff.

'What!' thought the Emperor. I don't see anything! That's awful! I'm stupid? Am I not fit to be Emperor? That would be the most terrifying thing that could happen to me.” “Oh, it's very pretty,” he said; „It has my highest applause!“ and he nodded contentedly and looked at the empty loom. He didn't want to say that he couldn't see anything. All the entourage that he had with him looked and looked, but they didn't get any more out than all the others, but they said right away like the emperor: "Oh, that's pretty!" and they advised him these new splendid ones Wearing dresses for the first time at the great festival that was to come.

"It's lovely, cute, excellent”! It went from mouth to mouth, and everyone seemed to be delighted. The Kaiser awarded each of the imposters a Knight's Cross to hang in their buttonholes and the title of court weaver.

All night before the morning of the festival the tricksters were up and had lit sixteen candles so that they might be seen at their work quite well. The people could see that they were busy getting the Emperor's new clothes ready. They pretended to take the stuff out of the loom, they cut the air with big scissors, they sewed with sewing needles without thread, and at last they said, "Look, now the clothes are ready!"

The emperor himself came with his most distinguished officials, and both impostors raised one arm in the air, just as if they were holding something, and said: "Look, here are the trousers, here is the dress, here is the coat! „ and so forth. „It is as light as a cobweb; you'd think you had nothing on your body, but that's the beauty of it!“

"Yes!" said all the officials, but they couldn't see anything because there was nothing there.

„If your Imperial Majesty wishes to take off your clothes," said the impostors, "we will put your new ones on here in front of the big mirror!"

The emperor took off his clothes, and the swindlers pretended to put on every piece of the new clothes that were supposed to be ready sewn, and the emperor turned and turned in front of the mirror.

"Oh, how well they dress, how beautifully they sit!" said everyone. „What pattern, what colors! That's a costly suit!“ –

"Outside they stand with the canopy to be carried over Your Majesty!" reported the Chief of Ceremonies.

"Look, I'm done!" said the Emperor. „Isn't it good?“ and then he turned to the mirror again; for it should seem as if he were looking at his clothes rightly.

The chamberlains, who had the right to wear the train, put their hands on the floor as if lifting the train, they walked and pretended to hold something in the air; they dared not let it be known that they could see nothing.

So the emperor walked under the magnificent canopy, and all the people on the street and in the windows said: "How incomparable are the emperor's new clothes! What a train he has on his dress! How beautifully she sits!“ No one wanted to let it be known that he saw nothing; for then he would not have been fit for his office or would have been very stupid. No of the Emperor's clothes had been so fortunate as these.

"But he's not wearing anything!" said a small child at last. „Hear the voice of innocence!“ said the father; and one whispered to the other what the child had said.

"But he has nothing on!" cried the whole people at last. This moved the emperor, for the people seemed to agree with him, but he thought to himself: 'Now I must endure.' And the chamberlains went and carried the train, which was not there.

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