The Travels of Marco Polo has become quite
controversial over the years. Was Polo one of the greatest travelers or was he
one of the greatest liars?
When Polo returned to his hometown of Venice, his
city was at war with Genoa, and Polo was imprisoned for about a year in Genoa. It
is said that with his notes beside him, he dictated the tales of his travels to
a fellow prisoner, Italian writer Rustigielo (Rustichello da Pisa). Rustigielo
indicated that his travelogue, written in 1298, is authentic. (The edition I
have is edited by Manuel Komroff and translated by William Marsden.)
Polo’s mother had died and his father was living in
Constantinople (Istanbul) when Marco Polo (1254-1324), from Venice, Italy,
embarked on the journey of his life in 1271 at 17 years of age, with his
father, Nicolo, and his father’s brother, Maffeo. He returned in 1295 when he
was 41. Of the 24 years traveling, he spent 17 of them in the company of of Kublai
Khan (1215-1294), Mongol emperor whom had just conquered China.
His itinerary included countries that are now Israel,
Armenia, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Tibet, Mongolia, China, India, Bangladesh,
Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Madagascar, Russia, and the seas of Japan
and Indonesia.
The account is written in four books: Book 1 are the
travels from Armenia to Shangtu (Kublai Khan’s summer residence in Xanadu,
southern Mongolia); Book 2 is the account of his time with Kublai Khan; Book 3
is about the Japan archipeligo, southern India, and coasts and islands of the
Indian Sea; and Book 4 is about the wars among the Tartar princes and the
northern countries.
Some countries in his travels are mentioned briefly
(such as Georgiania, the present day Georgia), and some extensively, such as
China. Historical place and country names are often similar to the
present day, while others have changed due to land conquests.
Because the account is through the writer Rustigielo,
readers don’t have the luxury of Polo’s developing personality from youth to
man. Also, given that it was written after his travels, and not catalogued
along the way, there is no immediacy of events.
Although Polo was not the first European traveler to
China, nevertheless the account is probably the first extensive travel chronicle
ever written. The entries on each country provide an account of the geography,
flora and fauna, artisans and professions, livestock, agriculture, manufacture,
religion and practices, dress, food, language, currency, and inventions –
reflecting his “mercantile spirit.” He was particularly interested in birds, and
noted falcons, eagles, pheasants, and peacocks.
Polo introduced Europe to the east and beyond, and to
different political econonies, philosophies, religions, warfare, agriculture,
and the arts – as well as paper money, water clocks, salt extraction from
seawater, and coal. No wonder many people were suspicious of his accounts –
they had never seen nor heard of many things that Polo described. But we now
know that the “nuts as big as heads” and “black stones used for fuel” were in
fact true; they were coconuts and coal.
Kublai Khan died a year before Marco Polo arrived
back home in Venice. Polo became a successful merchant, married, and had three daughters.
He inspired many after him to follow in his tracks, including Christopher
Colombus (1450-1506), and entered the history books as an intrepid traveler.
The Marsden translation is easier to read than
others. It is divided into Books with shorter chapters, fewer footnotes and
explanations, and minimal archaic terminology. While it covers an extensive
number of countries, there is still much missing in the details – and is more
of an overview of 24 years abroad.
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