Ser Marco Polo: Notes and Addenda to Sir Henry Yule's Edition |
Common terms and phrases
Ancient Khotan Andaman Andamanese Arab Asiatic Quart Asiatique Badakhshan Bahabad Bretschneider called capital caravan Census Report Central Asia century Ch'ang Chap Charchan Chau Ju-kwa China Chinese chinois Chou Cordier distance Dynasty E. H. PARKER Ecole franç edition Emperor FERRAND Geog HENRI CORDIER hien Hirth and Rockhill History India Indian Antiquary island Journ journey Kashgar Kashmir Keriya Khotan Kien King kingdom Kúblái Kuh-benan KUMAGUSU MINAKATA Laufer Lo-han Malay Malayu Marco Polo mentioned miles Mongol mulberry native Nicobar Nicobarese Nishapur Orient Pamir paper Pashai PELLIOT Persia Polo's Prince probably Prof province Puh-lo remarks river road route says Shan sheep Si-ngan Sir Aurel Stein Sir Henry Yule T'ang T'oung Pao tails Tangut Tartars Tebbes Tibet Tibetan travelled tribe Valley village Wakhan word writes XXXVII Yüan Yuan Shi Yule's
Popular passages
Page 115 - Su-fang supwan, to be restored to 'supang or 'spang, 'sbang; Caesalpinia sappan, furnishing the sappan wood) is first described as a product of Kiu-chen (Tong King) in the Nan fang ts'ao mi chuang, written by Ki Han at the end of the third or beginning of the fourth century. J. de Loureiro (Flora cochinchinensis, p. 321) observes in regard to this tree, ' Habitat in altis montibus Cochinchinae : indeque a mercatoribus sinensibus abunde exportatur.
Page 35 - In leaving Badashan you ride twelve days between east and north-east, ascending a river that runs through land belonging to a brother of the Prince of Badashan, and containing a good many towns and villages and scattered habitations. The people are Mahommetans, and valiant in war. At the end of those twelve days you come to a province of no great size, extending indeed no more than three days' journey in any direction, and this is called VOKHAN.
Page 38 - The Plain is called PAMIER, and you ride across it for twelve days together, finding nothing but a desert without habitations or any green thing, so that travellers are obliged to carry with them whatever they have need of. The region is so lofty and cold that you do not even see any birds flying. And I must notice also that because of this great cold, fire does not burn so brightly, nor give out so much heat as usual, nor does it cook food so...
Page 103 - They have hair like that of a buffalo, feet like those of an elephant, and a horn in the middle of the forehead, which is black and very thick. They do no mischief, however, with the horn, but with the tongue alone; for this is covered all over with long and strong prickles [and when savage with any one they crush him under their knees and then rasp him with their tongue].
Page 104 - In this Island they have no king nor chief, but live like beasts. And I tell you they go all naked, both men and women, and do not use the slightest covering of any kind.
Page 19 - The learned Mirza Ulugh Beg has written a history which he has called Ulus Arbaa. One of the 'four hordes' is that of the Moghul, who are divided into two branches, the Moghul and the Chaghatai. But these two branches, on account of their mutual enmity, used to call each other by a special name, by way of depreciation. Thus the Chaghatai called the Moghul Jatah, while the Moghul called the Chaghatai Kardwdnds.
Page 119 - There is also (in this country) a wild animal called tsula; it resembles a camel in shape, an ox in size, and is of a yellow colour. Its fore legs are five feet long, its hind legs only three feet. Its head is high up and turned upwards. Its skin is an inch thick.
Page 44 - They have this custom, that if a married man goes to a distance from home to be absent twenty days, his wife has a right, if she is inclined, to take another husband; and the men, on the same principle, marry wherever they happen to reside.
Page 56 - ... do the buying and selling, and whatever is necessary to provide for the husband and household ; for the men all lead the life of gentlemen, troubling themselves about nothing but hunting and hawking, and looking after their goshawks and falcons, unless it be the practice of warlike exercises. They live on the milk and meat which their herds supply, and on the produce of the chase ; and they eat all kinds of flesh, including that of horses and dogs, and Pharaoh's rats, of which last there are...
Page 106 - Idolaters, and go quite naked except that they cover the middle. . . . The King of this Island possesses a ruby which is the finest and biggest in the world ; I will tell you what it is like. It is about a palm in length, and as thick as a man's arm ; to look at, it is the most resplendent object upon earth ; it is quite free from flaw and as red as fire. Its value is so great that a price for it in money could hardly be named at all.