Latest / The Travels of Marco Polo, Volume 1 / 035 - Book Second Part 1 Chapters 8 to 10 Concerning the person of the great Kaan Concerning the great Kaa

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035 - Book Second Part 1 Chapters 8 to 10 Concerning the person of the great Kaan Concerning the great Kaa · The Travels of Marco Polo, Volume 1

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty five of the Book of Sir Marco Polo,
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  Speaker 1: the Venetian concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East,
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  Speaker 1: Volume one. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
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  Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more information or the volunteer,
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  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Annosimon. The Book
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  Speaker 1: of Sir Marcopolo the Venetian concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels
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  Speaker 1: of the East, Volume one, Parosticello da Pisa, translated by
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  Speaker 1: Henry Yule, Book second Part one, Chapters eight ten, Chapter
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  Speaker 1: eight concerning the person of the Great Khan. The personal
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  Speaker 1: appearance of the Great Khan, Lord of Lords, whose name
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  Speaker 1: is Kublai, is such as I shall now tell you.
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  Speaker 1: He is of a good stature, neither tall nor short,
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  Speaker 1: but of a middle height. He has a becoming amount
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  Speaker 1: of flesh, and is very shapely in all his limbs.
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  Speaker 1: His complexion is white and red, the eyes black and fine,
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  Speaker 1: the nose well formed and well set. He has four wives,
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  Speaker 1: whom he retains permanently as his legitimate consults, and the
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  Speaker 1: eldest of his sons by those four wives ought by
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  Speaker 1: rights to be Emperor. I mean when his father dies.
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  Speaker 1: Those four ladies are called empresses, but each is distinguished
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  Speaker 1: also by her proper name, and each of them has
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  Speaker 1: a special court of her own, very grand and ample,
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  Speaker 1: no one of them having fewer than three hundred fair
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  Speaker 1: and charming damsels. They have also many pages and eunuchs,
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  Speaker 1: and a number of other attendants of both sexes, so
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  Speaker 1: that each of these ladies has not less than ten
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  Speaker 1: thousand persons attached to her court. When the Emperor desires
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  Speaker 1: the society of one of these four consorts, he will
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  Speaker 1: sometimes send for the lady to his apartment, and sometimes
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  Speaker 1: visit her at her own. He has also a great
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  Speaker 1: number of concubines, and I will tell you how he
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  Speaker 1: obtains them. You must know that there is a tribe
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  Speaker 1: of Tartar called Angrat, who are noted for their beauty. Now,
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  Speaker 1: every year a hundred of the most beautiful maidens of
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  Speaker 1: this tribe are sent to the Great Khan, who commits
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  Speaker 1: them to the charge of certain elderly ladies dwelling in
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  Speaker 1: his palace. And these old ladies make the girls sleep
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  Speaker 1: with them in order to ascertain if they are sweet
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  Speaker 1: breath and do not snore, and are sound in all
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  Speaker 1: their limbs. Then such of them as are of approved
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  Speaker 1: beauty and are good and sound in all respects, are
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  Speaker 1: appointed to attend on the Emperor by turns. Thus six
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  Speaker 1: of these damsels take their turn for three days and
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  Speaker 1: nights and wait on him when he is in his
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  Speaker 1: chamber and when he is in his bed, to serve
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  Speaker 1: him in any way, and to be entirely at his orders.
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  Speaker 1: At the end of the three days and nights they
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  Speaker 1: are relieved by other six. And so throughout the year
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  Speaker 1: there are reliefs of maidens by six and six, changing
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  Speaker 1: every three days and night. Chapter nine concerning the Great
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  Speaker 1: Khan's sons, The Emperor hath by those four wives of
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  Speaker 1: his twenty two male children, the eldest of whom was
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  Speaker 1: called Jinkin for the love of the good jinghis Khan,
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  Speaker 1: the first Lord of the Tatars, and this Chinkin, as
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  Speaker 1: the eldest son of the Khan, was to have reigned
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  Speaker 1: after his father's death, but as it came to pass
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  Speaker 1: he died. He left his son behind him, however, whose
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  Speaker 1: name is Timur, and he is to be the Great
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  Speaker 1: Khan and Emperor after the death of his grandfather. As
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  Speaker 1: is but right he being the child of the Great
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  Speaker 1: Khan's eldest son. And this Timur is an able and
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  Speaker 1: brave man, as he hath already proven on many occasions.
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  Speaker 1: The Great Khan hath also twenty five other sons by
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  Speaker 1: his concubines, and these are good and valiant soldiers, and
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  Speaker 1: each of them is a great chief. I tell you
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  Speaker 1: moreover that of his children by his four lawful wives,
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  Speaker 1: there are seven who are kings of vast realms or provinces,
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  Speaker 1: and govern them well, being all able and gallant men,
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  Speaker 1: as might be expected for the Great Khan. Their sire is,
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  Speaker 1: I tell you, the wisest and most accomplished man, the
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  Speaker 1: greatest captain, the best to govern men and rule and empire,
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  Speaker 1: as well as the most valiant that ever has existed
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  Speaker 1: among all the tribes of Tartars. Chapter ten, concerning the
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  Speaker 1: Palace of the Great Khan. You must know that for
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  Speaker 1: three months of the year to its December, January and February,
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  Speaker 1: the Great Khan resides in the capital city of Katai,
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  Speaker 1: which is called Kambaluk, and which is at the northeastern
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  Speaker 1: extremity of the country. In that city stands his great palace.
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  Speaker 1: And now I will tell you what it is like.
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  Speaker 1: It is enclosed all round by a great wall, forming
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  Speaker 1: a square, each side of which is a mile in length.
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  Speaker 1: That is to say, the whole compass thereof is four miles.
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  Speaker 1: This you may depend on. It is also very thick,
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  Speaker 1: and a good ten paces in height, whitewashed and loop
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  Speaker 1: holed all round. At each angle of the wall there
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  Speaker 1: is a very fine and rich palace in which the
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  Speaker 1: war harness of the Emperor is kept, such as bows
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  Speaker 1: and quivers, saddles and bridles, and bow strings, and everything
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  Speaker 1: needful for an army. Also, midway between every two of
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  Speaker 1: these corner palaces there is another of the like, so
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  Speaker 1: that taking the whole compass of the enclosure, you find
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  Speaker 1: eight vast palaces stored with the Great Lord's harness of war.
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  Speaker 1: And you must understand that each palace is assigned to
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  Speaker 1: only one kind of article. Thus one is stored with bows,
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  Speaker 1: a second with saddles, a third with bridles, and so
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  Speaker 1: on in succession. Right round the great wall has five
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  Speaker 1: gates on its southern face, the middle one being the
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  Speaker 1: Great Gate, which is never opened on any occasion except
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  Speaker 1: when the Great Khan himself goes forth or enters. Close.
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  Speaker 1: On either side of this great gate is a smaller
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  Speaker 1: one by which all other people pass, And then towards
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  Speaker 1: each angle is another great gate, also open to people
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  Speaker 1: in general, so that on that side there are five
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  Speaker 1: gates in all. Inside of this wall there is a
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  Speaker 1: second enclosing a space that is somewhat greater in length
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  Speaker 1: than in breath. This enclosure also has eight palaces, corresponding
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  Speaker 1: to those of the outer wall, and stored, like them
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  Speaker 1: with the Lord's harness of war. This wall also hath
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  Speaker 1: five gates on the southern face, the corresponding to those
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  Speaker 1: in the outer wall, and hath one gate on each
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  Speaker 1: of the other faces. As the outer wall hath. Also
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  Speaker 1: in the middle of the second enclosure is the Lord's
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  Speaker 1: great palace, And I will tell you what it is like.
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  Speaker 1: You must know that it is the greatest palace that
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  Speaker 1: ever was. Towards the north, it is in contact with
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  Speaker 1: the outer wall, whilst towards the south there is a
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  Speaker 1: vacant space which the barrens and the soldiers are constantly traversing.
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  Speaker 1: The palace itself hath no upper story, but is all
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  Speaker 1: on the ground floor. Only the basement is raised some
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  Speaker 1: ten palms above the surrounding soil, and this elevation is
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  Speaker 1: retained by a wall of marble raised the level of
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  Speaker 1: the pavement two paces in width and projecting beyond the
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  Speaker 1: base of the palace, so as to form a kind
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  Speaker 1: of terrace walk by which people can pass round the building,
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  Speaker 1: and which is exposed to view, whilst on the outer
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  Speaker 1: edge of the wall there is a very fine, pallid palustrade,
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  Speaker 1: and up to this the people are allowed to come.
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  Speaker 1: The roof is very lofty, and the walls of the
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  Speaker 1: palace are all covered with gold and silver. They are
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  Speaker 1: also adorned with representations of dragons sculptured and gilt, beasts
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  Speaker 1: and birds, knights and idols, and sundry other subjects. And
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  Speaker 1: on the ceiling too, you see nothing but gold and
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  Speaker 1: silver and painting. On each of the four sides there
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  Speaker 1: is a great marble staircase leading to the top of
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  Speaker 1: the marble wall and forming the approach to the palace.
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  Speaker 1: The hall of the palace is so large that it
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  Speaker 1: could easily dine six thousand people, and it is quite
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  Speaker 1: a marvel to see how many rooms there are. Besides,
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  Speaker 1: the building is altogether so vast, so rich, and so
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  Speaker 1: beautiful that no man on earth could design anything superior
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  Speaker 1: to it. The outside of the roof also is all
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  Speaker 1: colored with vermilion and yellow, and green and blue, and
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  Speaker 1: other ewes, which are fixed with a varnish so fine
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  Speaker 1: and exquisite that they shine like crystal, and lend the
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  Speaker 1: resplendent luster to the palace, as seen for a great
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  Speaker 1: way around. This roof is made, too, with such strength
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  Speaker 1: and solidity that it is fit to last forever. On
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  Speaker 1: the interior side of the palace are large buildings with
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  Speaker 1: halls and chambers, where the emperor's private property is placed,
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  Speaker 1: such as is treasures of gold, silver gems, pearls, and
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  Speaker 1: gold plate, and in which reside the ladies and concubines.
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  Speaker 1: There he occupies himself at his own convenience, and no
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  Speaker 1: one else has axes. Between the two walls of the
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  Speaker 1: enclosure which I have described, there are fine parks and
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  Speaker 1: beautiful trees bearing a variety of fruits. There are beasts,
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  Speaker 1: also sundry kinds, such as white stags and fallow deer,
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  Speaker 1: gazelles and roebucks, and fine squirrels of various sorts, with
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  Speaker 1: numbers also of the animal that gives the musk, and
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  Speaker 1: all manner of other beautiful creatures, insomuch that the whole
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  Speaker 1: place is full of them, and no spot remains void
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  Speaker 1: except where there is traffic of people going and coming.
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  Speaker 1: The parks are covered with abundant grass, and when the
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  Speaker 1: roads through them, being all paved and raised two cubits
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  Speaker 1: above the surface, they never become muddy, nor does the
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  Speaker 1: rain lodge on them, but flows off into the meadows,
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  Speaker 1: quickening the soil and producing that abundance of herbage. From
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  Speaker 1: that corner of the enclosure, which is towards the northwest,
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  Speaker 1: there extends a fine lake containing foison of fish of
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  Speaker 1: different kinds, which the Emperor had cause to be put
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  Speaker 1: in there, so that whenever he desires any he can
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  Speaker 1: have them at his pleasure. A river enters this lake
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  Speaker 1: and issues from it, where there is a grating of
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  Speaker 1: iron or brass put up so that the fish cannot
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  Speaker 1: escape in that way. Moreover, on the north side of
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  Speaker 1: the palace, about a bow shot off, there is a
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  Speaker 1: hill which has been made by art from the earth
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  Speaker 1: drug out of the lake. It is a good hundred
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  Speaker 1: paces in height and a mile in compass. This hill
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  Speaker 1: is entirely covered with trees that never lose their leaves
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  Speaker 1: but remain ever green. And I assure you that wherever
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  Speaker 1: a beautiful tree may exist, and the Emperor gets news
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  Speaker 1: of it, he sends for it and has it transported
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  Speaker 1: bodily with all its roots and the earth attached to them,
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  Speaker 1: and planted on that hill of his. No matter how
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  Speaker 1: big the tree may be, he gets it carried by
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  Speaker 1: his elephants. And in this way he has got together
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  Speaker 1: the most beautiful collection of trees in all the world.
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  Speaker 1: And he has also caused the whole hill to be
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  Speaker 1: covered with the ore of azure, which is very green.
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  Speaker 1: And thus not only are the trees all green, but
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  Speaker 1: the hill itself is all green likewise, and there is
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  Speaker 1: nothing to be seen on it that is not green.
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  Speaker 1: And hence it is called the Green Mount, and in
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  Speaker 1: good sooth tis named well. On the top of the
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  Speaker 1: hill again there is a fine, big palace which is
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  Speaker 1: all green inside and out. And thus the hill and
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  Speaker 1: the trees and the palace formed together a charming spectacle.
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  Speaker 1: And it is marvelous to see their uniformity of color.
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  Speaker 1: Everybody who sees them is delighted. And the Great Khan
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  Speaker 1: had caused this beautiful prospect to be formed for the
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  Speaker 1: comfort and solace and delectation of his heart. You must
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  Speaker 1: know that beside the palace that we have been describing,
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  Speaker 1: that is the Great Palace, the Emperor has caused another
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  Speaker 1: to be built just like his own in every respect.
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  Speaker 1: And this he hath done for his son, when he
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  Speaker 1: shall reign and be emperor after him. Hence it is
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  Speaker 1: made just in the same fashion and not the same size,
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  Speaker 1: so that everything can be carried on in the same
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  Speaker 1: manner after his own death. It stands on the other
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  Speaker 1: side of the lake from the Great Khan's palace, and
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  Speaker 1: there is a bridge crossing the water from one to
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  Speaker 1: the other. The prince in question holds now a seal
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  Speaker 1: of empire, but not with such complete authority as the
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  Speaker 1: Great Khan, who remains supreme as long as he lives. Now,
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  Speaker 1: I am going to tell you of the chief city
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  Speaker 1: of Katai in which these palaces stand, and why it
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  Speaker 1: was built and how the end of section thirty five