IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
| |||||||||
|
| IIIF Color HighRes |
| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Citation Information
CHAP. LXI. TIIE KAAN'S PALACE AT SHANGTU
305
abbeys of Bacsis, of which Marco speaks, and the exact date (no longer visible) of the monument was equivalent to A.D. 288.*
This city occupies the south-east angle of a more extensive enclosure, bounded by what is now a grassy mound, and embracing, on Dr. Bushell's estimate, about 5 square miles. Further knowledge may explain the discrepancy from Marco's dimension, but this must be the park of which he speaks.]- The woods and fountains have disappeared, like the temples and palaces ; all is dreary and desolate, though still abounding in the game which was one of Kúblái's attractions to the spot. A small monastery, occupied by six or seven wretched Lamas, is the only building that remains in the vicinity. The river Shangtu, which lower down becomes the Lan [or Loan] -Ho, was formerly navigated from the sea up to this place by flat grain-boats.
[Mgr. de Harlez gave in the T'oung Pao (x. p. 73) an inscription in Chuen character on a stele found in the ruins of Shangtu, and built by an officer with the permission of the Emperor ; it is probably atoken of imperial favour ; the inscription means : Great Longevity.—H. C.]
In the wail which Sanang Setzen, the poetical historian of the Mongols, puts, perhaps with some traditional basis, into the mouth of Toghon Temur, the last of the Chinghizide Dynasty in China, when driven from his throne, the changes are rung on the lost glories of his capital Daitu (see infra, Book II. eh. xi.) and his summer palace Shangtu; thus (I translate from Schott's amended German rendering of the Mongol) :
" My vast and noble Capital, My DaYtu, My splendidly adorned !
And Thou my cool and delicious Summer-seat, my Shangtu-Keibung !
Ye, also, yellow plains of Shangtu, Delight of my godlike Sires !
I suffered myself to drop into dreams,—and lo ! my Empire was gone !
Ah Thou my DaYtu, built of the nine precious substances !
Ah my Shangtu-Keibung, Union of all perfections !
Ah my Fame ! Ah my Glory, as Khagan and Lord of the Earth !
When I used to awake betimes and look forth, how the breezes blew loaded with
fragrance !
And turn which way I would all was glorious perfection of beauty !
Alas for my illustrious name as the Sovereign of the World !
Alas for my DaYtu, seat of Sanctity, Glorious work of the Immortal K -BLÁI ! All, all is rent from me !"
It was, in 1797, whilst reading this passage of Marco's narrative in old Purchas that Coleridge fell asleep, and dreamt the dream of Kúblái's Paradise,_ beginning :
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree :
Where Al ph, the sacred River, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round •
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree ;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery."
* These particulars were obtained by Dr. Bushell through the Archimandrite Palladius, from the MS. account of a Chinese traveller who visited Shangtu about two hundred years ago, when probably the whole inscription was above ground. The inscription is also mentioned in the Imp. Geography of the present Dynasty, quoted by Klaprotb. This work gives the interior wall 5 li to the side, instead of 2 li, and the outer wall io li, instead of 4 li. By Dr. Bushell's kindness, I give a reduction of his sketch plan (see Itinerary ilta!, No. IV. at end of this volume', and also a plate of the heading of the inscription. The translation of this is : " Monument conferred by the Emperor of the August Yuen (Dynasty) in memory of His High Eminence Yun Hien (styled) Chang-Lao (canonised as) Shou-Kung (Prince of Longevity)." [See Missions de Chine et du Congo, No. 28, Mars, 1891, Bruxelles.]
t Ramusio's version runs thus : " The palace presents one si.le to the centre of the city and the other to the city wall. And from either extremity of the palace where it touches the city wall, there
VOL.
U
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright (C) 2003-2019 National Institute of Informatics and The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.