Unveil the Royal Truth!
Join us on a multifaceted journey into the heart of Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 masterpiece, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’. This comprehensive project brings you:
1) A fresh, new written translation that breathes new life into the classic tale.
2) An immersive audio reading that transports you to a world of wit and wisdom.
3) A thought-provoking video podcast discussion that dissects the timeless themes and clever satire.
Discover how this beloved story continues to captivate readers of all ages with its universal lessons on honesty, courage, and critical thinking. Get ready to be royally entertained and enlightened!
Text | A new fresh translation
Hans Christian Andersen
The Emperors New Clothes (1837)
Translation by © Henrik Frederiksen | Founder Elephanttribe.org with the assistance of Google Translate and AI
Many years ago there lived an emperor who was so fond of beautiful new clothes that he spent all his money on being perfectly dressed. He did not care for his soldiers, did not care for comedy or for riding in the forest, except only to show off his new clothes. He had an outfit for every hour of the day, and just as they say of a king that he is in council, so they always said here: “The emperor is in the wardrobe!” –
In the great city where he lived, things went very happily, every day many strangers came, one day two impostors came; they pretended to be weavers and said that they knew how to weave the most beautiful clothes imaginable. Not only were the colors and patterns exceptionally beautiful, but the clothes that were sewn from the cloth had the strange property of becoming invisible to any person who was not fit for his office, or who was also unacceptably stupid.
“Those were some beautiful clothes,” thought the emperor; “by wearing them, I could find out which men in my kingdom are not fit for the office they have, I can tell the wise from the foolish! Yes, the clothes must be woven for me at once!” and he gave the two impostors a lot of money, so that they could begin their work.
They also set up two looms, pretending to be working, but they had not the slightest thing on the loom. They quickly demanded the finest silk and the most magnificent gold; which they put in their own bag and worked with the empty looms, and that far into the night.
“Now I wonder how far they are with the clothes!” thought the Emperor, but he had a little uncertain feeling in his heart, to think that he who was stupid, or not at all fit for his office, that he could not see it, now he probably thought that he did not need to be afraid himself, but he would still send someone first to see how it stood. Everyone in the whole city knew what a strange power the clothes had, and everyone was eager to see how bad or stupid his neighbor was.
“I will send my old honest minister to the weavers!” thought the Emperor, “he can best see how the clothes turn out, for he has sense, and no one is better suited for his office than he!” –
Now the old honest minister went into the hall where the two imposters were sitting and working with the empty looms. “God save us!” thought the old minister and widened his eyes! “I can’t see anything!” But he didn’t say that.
Both imposters asked him to come closer and asked if it wasn’t a beautiful pattern and lovely colors. Then they pointed to the empty loom, and the poor old minister kept on widening his eyes, but he couldn’t see anything, because there was nothing. “Good God!” he thought, “could I be stupid! I never believed that, and no one must know that! Am I not fit for my office? No, it doesn’t work, that I say I don’t see the clothes!”
“Well, you’re not saying anything about it!” said one of the weavers!
“Oh, it’s beautiful! Very dear!” said the old minister, looking through his glasses, “this pattern and these colors! – yes, I must tell the Emperor that it pleases me very much!”
“Well, it pleases us!” said both weavers, and now they named the colors and the strange pattern. The old minister listened carefully, so that he could say the same thing when he got home to the emperor, and he did.
Now the imposters demanded more money, more silk and gold, they were to use it for weaving. However, they put everything into their own pockets, not a thread came to the loom, but they continued, as before, to weave on the empty loom.
The emperor soon sent another honest official to see how the weaving was going, and whether the clothes would soon be finished. He did the same as the other minister, he looked and looked, but since there was nothing but the empty looms, he could see nothing.
“Yes, isn’t it a beautiful piece of clothes!” said both imposters, and showed and explained the beautiful pattern, which was not there at all.
“I am not stupid!” thought the man, “So this is my good office, that I am not fit for? That was ridiculous enough! but one must not let that be noticed!” and then he praised the clothes, which he did not see, and assured them of his joy of the beautiful colors and the lovely patterns. “Yes, it is quite lovely!” he said to the Emperor.
All the people in the city were talking about the magnificent clothes.
Now the Emperor wanted to see it himself while it was still on the loom. With a crowd of chosen men, among whom were the two old respectable officials, who had been there before, he went to both the cunning imposters, who were now weaving with all their might, but without cloth or thread.
“Yes, isn’t it magnificent!” said both respectable officials. “Look Your Majesty, what wonderful patterns and colors!” and then they pointed to the empty loom, for they thought the others might be able to see the clothes.
“What on earth” thought the Emperor, “I can’t see anything! It’s terrible! Am I stupid? Am I not fit to be Emperor? It was the most horrible thing that could happen to me! “Oh, that’s very beautiful!” said the Emperor, “that has my highest approval!” and he nodded contentedly and looked at the empty loom; he would not say that he could not see anything. All the followers he had with him looked and looked, but got no more out of it than all the others, but they said, like the Emperor, “Oh, that’s very beautiful!” and they advised him to put on these new, splendid clothes for the first time, at the great procession that was about to take place. “It’s magnificent! It’s wonderful, excellent!” It went from mouth to mouth, and everyone was so deeply pleased with it. The emperor gave each of the imposters a medal to hang in their buttonhole and the title of royal ‘weaver.
The entire night before the procession was to take place the following morning, the imposters sat up and had over sixteen candles lit. People could see that they were busy getting the emperor’s new clothes ready. They pretended to take the clothes off the loom, they cut in the air with large scissors, they sewed with a sewing needle without thread and finally said: “Look, the clothes are ready!”
The emperor, with his most distinguished cavaliers, came there himself and both imposters raised one arm in the air as if they were holding something and said: “Look, here are the leggings! Here is the dress! Here is the cloak!” and so on. “It is as light as spiderwebs! You would think you had nothing on your body, but that is precisely the virtue of it!”
“Yes!” said all the cavaliers, but they could not see anything, for there was nothing.
“Now will your Imperial Majesty be so gracious as to take off your clothes!” said the imposters, “then we will put the new ones on you, here in front of the great mirror!”
The Emperor laid out all his clothes, and the imposters simply took them off, as they were giving him every piece of the new ones that were to have been sewn, and the Emperor turned and turned before the mirror.
“God, how wonderful they look! how beautifully they fit!” they all said. “What patterns! what colors! it is a costly suit!” –
“Outside they are standing with the royal canopy, which is to be carried over your Majesty in the procession!” said the master of ceremonies.
“Yes, I am ready!” said the Emperor. “Doesn’t it fit well?” and then he turned once more before the mirror! for it would now seem as if he were looking at his city properly.
The chamberlains, who were to carry the train, fumbled with their hands along the floor, as if they were picking up the train, they walked and held it in the air, they did not dare to let it be noticed that they could not see anything.
Then the Emperor walked in the procession under the beautiful royal canopy and all the people in the street and in the windows said: “God, how magnificent the Emperor’s new clothes are! What a beautiful train he has on his dress! How blessedly it fits!” No one wanted to be noticed that he saw nothing, for then he would not have been fit for his office, or considered to be very stupid. None of the Emperor’s previous clothes had brought such good fortune.
“But he has nothing on,” said a little child. “God Lord, listen to the voice of the innocent,” said the father; and one told the other what the child said.
“But he has nothing on,” shouted everyone at last. The Emperor was overcome with fear, for he believed they were right, but he thought to himself, “Now I must endure the procession until the end.” And the chamberlains went and carried the train, which was not there at all.