IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD". THE BRIDGE OF SINDUFU • I I 4. •
of cities and of villages on this river and through the surrounding country. There are so z
large ships, that is so large a multitude, that there is no man's body or eyes which
did not see them and hear it told which could believe it. It is so great, the multitude FB FB
and the great abundance of the great merchandise which the merchants carry up
and down by this river to the foresail cities, that there is not a man in the world who z
did not see it who could believe it. It is not like a river but a sea, it is so broad,
& on the banks are very high & great mountains. And I will tell you of a great bridge VB
which is inside the town of Sindufu over this great river. The bridge is all of stone VA
and is quite eight' paces wide and quite half a mile long, just as I have told you FB
that the river is broad. From length to length of the bridge on each side are beautiful z
pillars of marble, which pillars hold up the roof of the bridge. For I tell you that
the bridge is covered from one end to the other very well with an exceedingly beautiful FB
roof of timber all drawn out and painted with very beautiful red painting, whose z z
covering is with tiles • of black stones. And there are also many very beautiful little houses v z
and stores on this bridge throughout the length in which they do and practise all sorts of z z z
trade and handicrafts enough;2 but then I tell you that these houses are planned like LT
this, they are made of poles which are brought in the morning and taken away in
the evening and folded up. And again there is in one house which is larger than any of the P LT
other houses the custom-house of the great lord, that is where those sit who receive VA VA
the revenue of the lord, that is the duty on the goods which pass over[or]were sold VB
on the bridge. And I tell you that the duty of that bridge is worth, as is said, quite P
a thousand bezants of gold each day,' and more. The people indeed of the city and province FA Z
of Sindufu are all idolaters. And from this city one sets out and rides five days
journeys through plains and through fair valleys, and one finds villages and hamlets VB
& towns enough. The men live on the return and profit which they take [sod] from z z
the land. There are found • domestic & wild beasts enough, lions and bears and very z VB Z
many other beasts such as stags and the liki'. They live also by industry, for some very L Z VA
beautiful sendal and other cloths of gold and • of silk of several kinds are made there in TA FB VA
great quantity. They belong to the same Sindufu. And when one is gone riding these FB
to all the bridges. And after the account of the revenue derived from the bridge R, but not Z, adds: "And when the said rivers leave the city they join together and make a vast river which is called Quian,which runs a hundred days journeys to the Ocean sea; of the nature of which one will speak below in the book."
1 VB: "nine"
2 VA: arte de stagnio et dellegniame
3 So FB,VA,P. LT: quolibet anno bene mile biçantos R: ogni giorno piu di cento bisanti TA' as F. TA3,L omit altogether. Z, V, VB specify no amount or period.
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