There was a vain emperor who just loved clothes.
More than ruling his land wisely, he seemed interested only in changing into a new suit every hour.
He would visit the theater and go out in his carriage so that the people would get to see his new suits every day.
How he loved to show off his new clothes to all the people!
Instead of discussing with his ministers the state of the kingdom, he was more interested in their opinion of his clothes!
So, my dear ministers, what do you think of my new dress?
Isn’t it better than the one I wore yesterday?
Your majesty, it is absolutely wonderful.
What a beautiful design!
The stories of the emperor’s love for clothes spread far and wide, and reached the ears of two scoundrels.
The cunning fellows landed up at the emperor’s court one day, and asked to meet the emperor.
And what work do you have with the emperor? He is a busy man and cannot be meeting everyone.
Oh, we are very fine weavers, sir, and can weave clothes like none other in the kingdom.
We have heard that the emperor loves clothes, and have come to make him a suit with our beautiful cloth.
The emperor has got so many suits made of so many different cloths
what is so different in your cloth?
Well, you see, our cloth is so light and delicate, that it is almost invisible.
In fact, it is visible only to those who are fit to do the jobs they are doing
and fools most certainly cannot see our cloth.When the courtier heard this, he rushed to tell the
emperor about this amazing new cloth that the two weavers were talking about.
Fools cannot see it, you say, and it is invisible to those not suited for their jobs?
This I must see.
Go, fetch them immediately.
If what they say is true, then I will who know among my ministers and courtiers should
be removed from their posts.The courtier ran to bring the two weavers to the emperor.
Come on, you two, the emperor shall see you now, and your cloth better be as good as you claim it to be.
The two weavers were presented before the emperor, where he sat with his ministers.
So, you weave a special cloth, is it?
Yes, your majesty. It is a cloth that none other can weave.
Very well. You will be provided with everything you need, and you must spin this cloth here in the palace.
Here is a bag of gold to start with, and you can ask for anything else that you might want.Of
course, your majesty.
We will spin the cloth here and make the most splendid suit for you, a suit which no one would have ever seen.
The emperor ordered two looms to be set up in a room.
The weavers asked for golden thread and the finest of silks, all of which they hid away
in their bags, and pretended to be working away at the looms.
In the meanwhile, the emperor was getting more and more curious to know what the weavers were doing
and decided to send his trusted minister to have a look.
Minister, you are one of my most senior ministers and among the most sensible, so I know I can trust you and your judgment.
I want you to go and look at the cloth the weavers are weaving and let me know how it is coming along.
The other ministers might not be able to see the cloth, you understand? Of course, your majesty.
I know exactly what you are trying to say. So the minister went to the room where the weavers were busy working
Oh, come in, come in, sir. Have a look at this beautiful and intricate design we have woven.
And the colors look how vibrant they are. Don’t you like it, sir?
We have worked really, really hard. Er, oh, oh yes.
I have never seen such beautiful workmanship. I must tell the emperor.
Carry on, carry on making the wonderful material.
And sir could you please make arrangements for more gold-threaded silk to be provided.
yes, yes, of course. Good heavens I cannot admit to anyone that I cannot see anything!
Are my spectacles not right, or am I an idiot and not fit to do my job?
The minister went back to the emperor, having decided to not mention that he could see no cloth being woven.
After so many years of serving the emperor, he did not want it to be known that he was not suited for his job.
No, no, that would never do!
Well, minister, what do you think of the cloth those weavers are working on? Oh, your Majesty, I don’t have words to describe it.
The colors and design are like nothing I have ever seen.
It is that good, is it? Do you think I should wear a suit of that cloth to the grand procession I shall be leading soon?
Of course, your Majesty. Everyone will be looking at you. The weavers continued pretending to work on the looms
They asked for more gold thread and more of the finest silk available and of course put all this away in their bags.
They asked for more candles, pretending to work late into the night
Their scissors went snip snip snip in the air, needles weaving in and out of imaginary cloth with no threads in them.
some time, the emperor again grew curious about the new cloth the weavers were weaving.
I think I will now send my trusted courtier to see how those two are progressing.
The emperor sends summons for the courtier to come.
Courtier, go and see how my new suit is coming along and come back and tell me everything in detail.
So the courtier made his way to the room where the weavers were busy on their looms.
Welcome sir, you have come to see the emperor’s suit? We are sure neither you nor the emperor will be disappointed.
We are working very hard to make sure it is ready for the emperor to wear for the procession.
And how do you like it, sir?
Have you ever seen such a magnificent design or such a perfect blend of colors?
The courtier was as confused as the minister. He could see absolutely nothing.
and admitting that would mean he was an idiot and not fit to do the job he was doing.
Like the minister, he had no intention of being labeled a fool.
I must say it is an amazing suit, absolutely befitting of our great ruler.
And you are right, I have never seen such marvelous craftsmanship.
The courtier listened carefully to how the weavers were describing the suit.
Because he did not know what he could tell the Emporer otherwise.
how can he describe something he could not see at all?
So courtier, what do you think of the new suit?
The courtier described in great detail the pattern and colors, exactly as the weavers had told him.
He certainly did not want to admit he could see nothing
as that would make him an idiot in everyone’s eyes.
Ah well, I think tomorrow I shall go and see the suit for myself.
Everyone seems to be praising it so much, I can’t wait to see it for myself.
The next day, the emperor went to the room where the weavers were pretending to be busy weaving. Up and down their hands
flew, while their eyes were fixed on the looms, concentrating so hard on the imaginary cloth.
Oh, your majesty, we have been waiting to show you your new suit. It is so beautiful,
even better than we had expected. People will be talking of nothing but your suit at the
procession. Here, have a look at the jacket and the trousers. I am sure they will fit
your majesty like a second skin. And the cloak! Isn’t it magnificent? They are all so light
and fragile, like a spider’s web! The emperor looked hard, but he could see nothing!
I am the emperor of the land, and if I say I cannot see anything, my people will think I am not
fit to rule them! That cannot happen! For fear of being considered a fool, the emperor
also went along with what the others had said, and greatly admired the suit.
The day of the procession, the weavers pretended to help the emperor wear the suit
pretending to handle it very carefully. Come, your majesty, stand before this mirror. Here, please wear
the jacket and trousers. The weavers pretended to make the emperor wear the jacket and trousers.
They pretended to nip the trousers in a little at the waist, straighten out the collar of
the jacket, and make some other adjustments. They then stood back to admire their handiwork.
Ah, that is such a wonderful fit, don’t you think so your majesty? And the colors
look so good on you. Now let me adjust the cloak. There! That’s done. What do you have
to say, your majesty? Er, well, I must say you have done a great job. Like you say, it
is an excellent fit, and the design and colors are outstanding! The emperor stood in front
of the mirror, and though he could still not see any clothes, he pretended to admire them
and himself while striking different poses before the mirror. Well, your majesty, it
is time for you to make an appearance and lead the procession. The courtier came forward
and pretended to hold the long train, and followed the emperor out. All the people in
the land had heard about the magical quality of the suit, and were waiting curiously and
impatiently to see the emperor wearing it. Finally, when the emperor made an entry, the
crowd became absolutely silent on seeing him. And then suddenly, the voice of a small child was heard.
Oh, But he is wearing nothing!
All the people then started shouting saying he is wearing nothing, he is wearing nothing, he is wearing nothing!
The emperor was extremely embarrassed. He now understood how the two weavers had made
a fool of him as well as his ministers and courtiers. All he could do was lead the procession
as he was with as much dignity as he could. The weavers, of course, had already escaped
with all the gold, thread and silks the emperor had given them, and were never seen or heard of again.