National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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Marco Polo : vol.1 |
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD, GOG & MAGOG AND YDIFU '74-.
Johan, and is held to be the greatest lord of that line.' And the place where he reigns, it is the z z
place which we call on this side in our country Gog and Magog, but they that dwell z
there call it in their tongue Ung and Mongul. And in each of these provinces was a L
different race of people, for in Ung were the Gog and in Mongul lived the Tartars. L L
For before the Tartars left it there were two races of men in this province; Ung were those of FB
the land, and Mongul were the Tartars. And therefore the Tartars are sometimes called Mongul.2
And when one rides through this province seven3 days marches by sunrising one FB
draws toward the borders of Catai; so that riding these seven marches one [31d] finds many FB FB
cities and villages in which there are people who worship the law of Mahomet and z
there are also • lnany idolaters and some Nestorian Turkish Christians also. And they FB VA z L
live by trade and by crafts, for there are made cloths of silk and of gold which one VB
calls nascici, very fine, and another kind of cloth which is called nac, and cloth of silk FB VB
of Many different kinds .4 For just as we have the woollen cloths in our countries of L FB FB
many kinds, just so they have cloths of gold and of silk of many kinds. And they y
are all subject to the great Kaan. And there is a city in the said province which is called FB
Sindaciu, and in this town are done many crafts, & chiefly of all things and harness L
which is needed for an army of the lord •very fine & good. And in the mountains of FB VB
this province is a place which is called Ydifu, in which is a very good silver mines
in which indeed silver is got out in very great plenty. And in this region they have chase z z L
and hawking of all kinds of beasts and birds enough on account of the multitude of wild V P
beasts. Now we will leave this aforesaid province and city and will go riding three R V
days marches forward, and then after these three days marches we shall find a city which FB FB
is called Ciagannor, which means White Pool in Latin, in which is a very fair and great L VA
palace much adorned, which belongs to the great Kaan, in which he dwells when he VB VA
comes, • and dwelling places. For you may know that the great Kaan sometimes stays at VB VB
this city in this palace very willingly because he has great pleasure there, for • in the FB V VB
neighbourhood of the said place there is very fine hunting and chase, and chiefly there are lakes
and rivers enough where live swans in plenty and other sorts of birds. And again there FB
is a beautiful plain in which there are cranes enough and pheasants and partridges
enough and many other kinds of birds. So that for the great plenty of birds and for the FB
4„
1 V: tute le altre zirchonstante prouinzie e reami erano e sono de li suo suKesori et questo giergin . . . sono sumo signor in luogo del prete Kane
2 VB: " two races of people who dwelt there, the one called Ung, the other Mongul who stayed with the Tartars."
3 VB: vna
4 See PN.
5 VB: vna montagna chesse chiama idisuenKia che uuol dir argentjna
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