00:00♪♪
00:29Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a king named Midas.
00:38Midas was a very rich king, but he was not a happy king.
00:42For with all his treasures of gold and jewels, this greedy man still longed for more wealth.
00:49All day he would think only of gold.
00:52Restless nights as he tossed about on his royal bed, he dreamed of more gold.
00:57He wanted above all else to become the wealthiest man in the world,
01:02and often he would forget his young daughter Marigold, whom he truly loved very much.
01:09And so for long hours, little Marigold played all alone among the lovely flowers of the spacious palace grounds.
01:16Bright, shining yellow flowers were her favorites,
01:20and she fashioned each day a bouquet of the most perfect of them to put upon the palace tables.
01:30The choicest flower of the lot was always shared with her father,
01:34but greedy King Midas only sighed and thought,
01:38ah, if only these flowers were real gold instead of merely golden color,
01:44then they would truly be worth the having.
01:47But Marigold loved the sweet-smelling flowers just as they were,
01:51and she hurried to place them in cool, fresh water lest they wilt.
01:56The bright yellow color of the flowers reminded Midas of the golden coins
02:00and the treasures hidden deep in his castle dungeon,
02:04and he worried that perhaps someone had discovered them.
03:17Who are you and how did you get in here? cried King Midas in great surprise.
03:43It isn't no matter, said the stranger.
03:46But why are you not happy, King Midas?
03:49You have more golden treasures and more golden coins than you can possibly count in a day.
03:55Just what is it that will bring you contentment?
03:58What will satisfy you, King Midas?
04:02King Midas sighed.
04:04I have long dreamed of becoming the richest man in the world.
04:08I have only one wish.
04:11I wish that everything I touch would turn to gold.
04:14Then I could be truly happy.
04:17Very well, then, the stranger said.
04:19I will grant your wish.
04:22Tomorrow morning at early sunrise, you shall have what you desire.
04:27You shall have the golden touch.
04:30Use it wisely, King Midas.
04:33And now, farewell.
04:40♪
05:07Not wanting to go to bed lest he oversleep,
05:10the king dozed that night in a chair at the head of his dining table.
05:14At dawn, the golden rays of sunlight pierced the palace windows.
05:19King Midas awoke at once, eager to test the power of his promised golden touch.
05:25♪
05:32At first, the king could not believe it possible.
05:36But when he wrapped upon the chair, he knew it to be solid gold.
05:41Then one slight touch of his hand, and his throne too turned to glittering gold.
05:47Now King Midas knew that as long as he lived,
05:50he, King Midas, would be the wealthiest man in the world.
05:55For who could have more gold than he?
05:58♪
06:23The golden touch made King Midas very happy.
06:27But as he sat down to eat breakfast,
06:29marigold came in from the garden with an armful of golden flowers.
06:34Look, father, she said sadly.
06:37What has happened to my lovely flowers?
06:40They are hard and ugly and have no fragrance at all.
06:44Wonderful, my dear, said the king.
06:46They are real gold.
06:48Imagine, real gold.
06:51Come now, sit down and eat your breakfast.
06:54♪
06:59King Midas was very hungry.
07:02But as he reached for an egg, it turned to gold at his touch.
07:06♪
07:16And as he picked up the loaf of bread, it too turned to gold.
07:21All this will never do, thought the king to himself.
07:25Such a costly breakfast and not a thing to eat.
07:29He was angry with himself for ever having wished for the golden touch.
07:34And he was angry at the stranger for having granted his wish.
07:40It saddens marigold to see her father so troubled.
07:43She wanted to comfort him.
07:47But when the old king touched her arm,
07:53poor little marigold became a statue of rigid gold.
08:01King Midas, surrounded by all his golden treasures, now knew how all alone he was.
08:08Through his sobs, he heard the voice of the stranger.
08:11Well, my friend, so you have made a discovery.
08:16Midas wept.
08:18For through his own greediness, he had lost the one thing he truly loved.
08:24Which would you rather have, Midas?
08:27The precious golden touch or a glass of cool water?
08:31A glass of cool water, cried Midas.
08:34The golden touch or a crust of bread, said the stranger.
08:40A crust of bread, answered Midas eagerly.
08:43The golden touch or your daughter?
08:49Oh, my child. My dear, dear child, wept Midas.
08:54Very well, then.
08:56If you wish to be relieved of the golden touch,
08:59wash your hands in the water of the river outside your garden.
09:03Then, take a vase of the same water and sprinkle it over anything you wish to change back.
09:10And sprinkle it over anything you wish to change back to its former state.
09:15Remember me.
09:17And the stranger disappeared.
09:22King Midas lost no time in obeying the stranger's words.
09:26He reached for an empty pitcher and ran for the river to fill it with the precious water.
09:33Shortly, he returned and at once, sprinkled it over Marigold's head.
09:41Soon, all traces of the golden touch were gone.
09:45And he began to hate the sight of anything made of gold.
09:49The only gold that he did enjoy was the gold in his little daughter's hair.
09:55And so we are told, they lived happily ever after.
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