The Nightingale and the Rose

The Nightingale and The Rose

For a lecture on the story in the CMS College YouTube channel, click here.

The Author

Oscar Wilde is a poet, playwright, and novelist, who lived more than a  hundred years back: He was born in Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland.

His best known works include Lady Windermere’s Fan  (play), The Importance of Being Earnest (play), The Ballad of Reading Gaol (poem), De Profundis (letter), The Picture of Dorian Gray (novel); and a number of short stories, many of which appear in the collection “The Happy Prince and Other Tales”. The Nightingale and the Rose is a story from this collection. 

Characters in the Story

The Student, the Nightingale, The Professor’s daughter, a few animals, three rose trees, and an oak tree.

The Story in Brief

When the story opens we see a young man – introduced to us as “The Student”. He has read many books by wise men, and he knows the secrets of philosophy. But today, he is sad. He is in love with a girl. They were supposed to be together the next day, for a ball – a dance party given by the Prince. But, she had asked him to bring her some red roses. At that time of the year, the student is unable to bring in any rose flower. He imagines the music and dance they all will have the next day. But his lady love will not dance with him. For, he has no red rose to give her!

Living nearby, with its nest in the holm-oak tree, was a Nightingale – a bird who could sing melodiously, especially at night. She was listening to this sad story of the Student. She used to sing of true love, but now, she has found someone who is a true lover. He looks charming, but his face is pale, and sorrow has set her seal on his brow.

Those around, such as a green lizard, a butterfly and a daisy, wonder why the student is weeping. They are surprised when the nightingale tells them that it is for a red rose. The nightingale alone realizes the pain. As Oscar Wilde tells us: “But the Nightingale understood the secret of the Student’s sorrow, and she sat silent in the oak-tree, and thought of the mystery of Love.”

The bird takes a decision: to help the Student in any way possible. She thinks of getting a rose flower, in return of her sweetest song. She flew to a Rose-tree in the centre of a grass plot, and asked for a red rose. But the rose tree was not able to help her, as it has only white roses. The tree asked the Nightingale to go to another rose tree, near the old sun-dial.

The Nightingale approached this Rose-tree. But, this tree also was not able to help, as its roses were yellow. The tree told the Nightingale to go to the tree that grows beneath the Student’s window.

The Nightingale now approached the third rose tree. Its roses are red. But since it was winter, it didn’t have any roses. Listen to the words of this tree: “But the winter has chilled my veins, and the frost has nipped my buds, and the storm has broken my branches, and I shall have no roses at all this year.”

“One red rose is all I want,” cried the Nightingale. Realising that the bird’s desire is very deep, the tree tells her that there is a solution. The nightingale must sing to it a song all night, with her breast against a thorn. The thorn must pierce her heart, and her life-blood must flow into the tree’s veins. This will bring out a red rose.

The Nightingale says: “Death is a great price to pay for a red rose …. Yet Love is better than Life, and what is the heart of a bird compared to the heart of a man?”

Happy that she will be able to help, the Nightingale flew to the Student, and told him that he would have his red rose. All she wants in return is that the Student should be a true lover.
The Student listened to the bird, but was not able to understand what the Nightingale was saying to him. He only knew the things that are written down in books.

The Oak-tree where the bird lived understood what was going to happen, and felt sad. It asked the bird to sing one last song, for it will be lonely when the bird is gone.

The Student too heard this song, but was not able to appreciate it.

Oscar Wilde cleverly shows us the failure of the Student to understand real love and sacrifice, through the comments the student make about the bird and her song.

When the Moon shone in the heavens the Nightingale flew to the Rose-tree, and set her breast against the thorn. All night long she sang.

Her first song was about the birth of love in the heart of a boy and a girl. This brought out a rose flower on the top of the tree. But it was pale in colour. Secondly she sang of the birth of passion in the soul of a man and a maid. This brought a pink shade to the rose. The third song was of Love perfected by Death, of the Love that dies not in the tomb. With this, the rose became crimson. At the last burst of music, the red rose opened its petals.

'Look, look!' cried the Tree, 'the rose is finished now;' but the Nightingale made no answer, for she was lying dead in the long grass, with the thorn in her heart.

At noon, the Student opened his window. He saw the red rose, and felt lucky. Being a person who studies a lot, he thinks of the scientific name of the flower, before plucking it out.

With the rose in his hand, he goes out to the Professor’s house; for, his lady love was the Professor’s daughter. He saw her sitting in the doorway, and offered the flower, reminding her of the promise to dance with him if he brought her a red rose.

But the girl frowned. She tells the Student that she is interested in the Chamberlain’s nephew, who has sent her real jewels, which cost far more than flowers.

Hearing this, the Student calls her ungrateful. He threw the flower into the street, and it fell into a gutter; a cart ran over it.

The student walks away. He feels that Love is a silly thing. It is unpractical. So, he decides to go back to his studies.

Some Points to be Noted

The Rose-trees:

The Nightingale is in need of one red rose. She approaches the rose trees for this. To every tree, it makes a request, and offers to sing her ‘sweetest song’ in return. First, she goes to the tree in the centre of the grass-plot. But, this tree has only white roses. Next, she asks the tree that grows near the sun dial. But this tree has only yellow roses. The third tree is beneath the window of the Student. It is one with red roses, but now there are no flowers as it is winter. Feeling sympathy for the bird, the third tree brings out a plan, which it says, is terrible. If the bird can sing a song all night long, with its breast against a thorn, it can have a red rose. But the bird’s life will be lost in this act.

Character of the student:

The Student is full of bookish learning, and fails to see real love around him. He doesn’t realize the nightingale’s sacrifice. He says that the bird’s song has form, but no feeling. When he gets the rose, he thinks of its Latin name. With the rose he goes to the Professor’s daughter, but she rejects him and the rose. He calls her ungrateful, and throws off the rose flower into the gutter and says that love is a silly thing, and gets back to his studies.

Character of the Nightingale:

The Nightingale believes that love is better than life. True love was always the theme of its song, and so it is happy to see a true lover. Like the Student, the bird also has its philosophy. But, it practices its philosophy by sacrificing its life to fulfil the desire of the lover. It doesn’t realise that the Student fails to understand this sacrifice.

The Songs of the Nightingale:

The Nightingale’s precious gift for all is her songs. She offers to sing her sweetest song to the Rose-trees, in return of a red rose. She sings a parting song for the oak tree. And, to bring out a red-rose, she sings songs throughout the night, with her breast pressed against a thorn. These songs are of three levels:

First, she sang of the birth of love in the heart of a boy and a girl. This brought out a rose flower on the top of the tree. But it was pale in colour. The second song was of the birth of passion in the soul of a man and a maid. This gave a pink colour to the rose. The third and last song was of the Love that is perfected by Death, of the Love that dies not in the tomb. With this, the rose became crimson. At the last burst of music, the red rose opened its petals.

Some Features of the Story:

Oscar Wilde uses capitals for the first letters of names: Student, Nightingale, Love, Life, Philosophy, Oak-tree, Rose-tree

Irony: The student’s comment on the bird’s song. What happens to the rose flower in the end. The student’s changing opinions on love.

Lessons from the story:

True love – can be understood better without philosophy: the bird, the oak tree.

Love demands sacrifice.

Human beings often give more importance to what is written in books, or costly gifts. The value of true love often goes unseen.