IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
| |||||||||
|
| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Marco Polo : vol.1 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Citation Information
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD THE QUEEN OF MUTIFILI • z 7 5
years since her lord the king died, and she who wished great good to her lord and
bore him great[reverence],1 said that God never wishes her to take another lord
since he whom she loved more than herself is dead. Now this was the reason why
she did not wish to take another lord. Moreover I tell you quite truly that this z
queen has well maintained her realm with very great justice and with great right LT
all this terns of forty years as well as her lord did while he lived. Moreover I tell z
you that she is more loved, feared, and respected by those her people of her realm than vB z
ever was lady or lord of that race by their people. The people of this realm they arc z VA
idolaters and make tribute to none. And they live on rice and on flesh and on milk, VA
on fishes and on fruits. And diamonds are found in this kingdom of Mut fili and we z LT
will tell you how. You may know that in this kingdom there are many very great FB
mountains in which the precious stones diamonds are found so as you shall hear; P
on which mountains none can go because of the great heat, for they would die of heat. • And in VB FB
winter very great rain falls there. For you may know that when it rains the water
runs down in very great torrents making great noise through these mountains, making FB
great havoc through great ravines and through great caverns, and washes the diamonds G
down from the mountains. And when the rain is stopped and the water is gone the
men go on their search` among the sands through these ravines by which the water is P
come, and find enough of them. And again. it was told the foresail Master Marc that VA R
in summer when one drop of water would not be found there then [bid] they
climb up with great labour and find plenty of them through those mountains. And R VB
such men as these who fish for diamonds dwell at the foot of the mountain with some of their
cabins. But there is so great heat there because of the sun that one can hardly bear it FB
there. Moreover I tell you that there is so great a multitude of serpents both large
and stout & of venomous vermin • on account of the heat in those mountains that it is a VB FB FB
great wonder & the men cannot go there but with great peril, & they have great fear, z i:B
and they are often devoured by those vermin. But nevertheless they go there as they can FB
and find some very good and large ones. Moreover I tell you that these serpents
are very poisonous and very evil so that the men have not courage to go to the
caves where the evil great serpents are, which seem that they dwell there to guard those z VL
diamonds, that they should not be taken. And again I tell you that the men have diamonds
1 li portoit grant. B., following Roux, supplies amor, which seems to repeat uoloit grant
bien.
2 wont alor cercant B. prints alor and translates allora. alor in the sense of adonc is to say the least very rare in this text, but on the other hand cercant in the sense of cerca or of cherche does not seem to be attested. FB: si cherchent V: vano zerchando Z: uadunt scrutando All other texts seem to omit alor.
395
~;.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright (C) 2003-2019 National Institute of Informatics and The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.