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·OTHER BOOKS BY DONN BIRVE
1 DAUGHTER OF THE VEDIC)
AN ALUSY OF FLASHING SPE ITS
THIF ISLAND OF VOL 211
ELIND PAFIIRY
BRO OUT! SILI
UD OF HONOR
JIANGYAVS HOLSE
O VALLEY OF SHANCAVICH
A PARTY OF BICCARAT
RIVIRS OU DAMASCLS
STORIES II ITHOUT U OVON
THE I/IND BLONI FTU
A 11 OVAN OR THE SHCE

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·MESSER
MARCO POLO
BY
DONN BYRNE
PENGUIN BOOKS INC
NEW YOR

·CDI YRICHT 191 BY TILL ENTUXY CU PAVY
Publuled by i enguin 1 ks Inc and reprinted
by arrangeme it with D Applson Century Company Inc.
All rigt 13 resett el ncludng the
risti to reproduce this book or
portions tl creof any form
FIRST PENCUIH DOOKS TOITION OCTOBER 1916
I cngun Inc 245 Fifth Avon Now rk 16
Ingun koos I unitej Han und wunh Middleser in
XINTED
11 UNITYD STATE

·MESSER MARCO POLO
III 18ESSICL CIVE TO ME Al rnr S+COVI)
heck of the hunt that a countryman and
clansman needed me The ground u zs heavy
ic day raw and st Has 7 drag too fast for
fun and too time for sport So I blessed the
countryman and thic clansman and turned
my back on the field
But when they toll me his name I all but
fell from the salldle
But that mans dead!
But he wasn dead He was a New York
He 175 traveling from the crags of Ulster in
Bus grundson who had moringe grosc on the
Indian River in rlord. He wasn t dend
And I sud to myself sth impatience
Must
every inan born ninety years ago be cleau?
But this is a damned thing I thought
to be saddled with a man on er niety years
old To have to act as garde malade ac my ngel
Why couldn t he have stayed and died at
home Sure one of these days he will die 25
we all die and the ghost of him will never be
content on the sluggish riser by the mosty
tries where the blue herons and the whic
1

·2 VIESSER VARCO 10) erines and the great gray pelicans fly It will by going back I now to the booming surf and the red berried row in trees and the burk ing cigles of Intrm ro die out of Ulster when onc cin die in Ulster there is a gey roolish thing But the harsh logic of Ulster lcít mc and the soft mood of Ulster (in on me 15 1 remembered him me I going into the town on the run And the late winter grassol 11 cstchester spore scrofulous the jerry built bungalows the lines of uncomcly linen blatant ndicruising boirds-all the u af at passed 7579 ani Imaguin in 1 Antrim glens Here w75 tlı soſt purple the Irish Chunnel and there the soft a outline of Scotland There was the burrit school silver in the sun and I could see it fr thc erg where the surf boomed like a Aud underfoot 175 the heather thic licither the belled and purple heuther And there come to me again the vision the old minns thatched farinhouse when u moon was up and the bats kcrc out winds of the County Antrim camc bully down tlic gleus The turf fire lir on the hearth non red now yellow and th Kis the golden light of lumps and Maine

·MESSER MARCO I OLO
3
of the I ong Clen 1474 reciting some poein of
Blind hierys or the lament of Pierre Ron
sard for Mary Queen of Scots
Ta nbino mo cheadsl earr ann mo ploca stos
Abas mnn Ernp n lagie is daou 110 bliron
fara
Ta me reudh leat go ndeanlar damh comhra caol
Acustod hasſar Ih an feir no thirai th sen thrid mo
lar ants
There is a ribl nn from my only love in my pocket
deep
And the women of Lurope they could not enre my
gruf alist
I am dort with you unul a narron con be made
And until the grass shall grow after that up through
my art
for me
And I suddenly discovered on the rum
bling trun that spart from the luurlmg and
the imat ball and the jumping of biorses wliat
life I remembered of Ulster was bound up in
Malachi Campbell of the Long (lon
A very stringe oli man lrardy as a black
thorn munnse boned shoulders the fact of
some old hawl of the mountains hair luc
and plenuful 75 soinc old cardinals All lus
hsnsloll were dead crcept for one grand
daughter And he had become a trid

·4 VESSER VARCO POLO It is said he had and he He had been tion in the glens been an ecclesiastical student abrord in lal ladolid and that he had forsaken that life And in France he had been 7 tutor in the family of VacMahon roi al Irlande and someu here he had married and his wife had died and left him mone) had come back to Antrim in the Papal Zouares and fought also in the American Civil War A strange figure is ho knew Greek and Latin as well most professors and who had never forg! his helic Antrim will ever color my own writing My Fifth Avenue will have something in of the heather glen Vy people will hay aluzys a phrase a thought a flash of Scot Irish mysticism and for that I must < thank or blame Malachi Campbell of Long Glen The stories I heard and I young were not of Little Rollo and Sir 'n Scotts but the horrible tale of the Maker Hangman who goes through the Valleys or Midsummer s Eve of Dermot and Cranye o the Bright Breasts of the Cartle Raid Maere Queen of Connacht of the old - of Cuchulain in the Island of Skye grisly homely stories such as yon of the عي

·MFSSER MIRCO IOLO
foot ballers of Cuslienclun wliose bril is
skull and whose goal is the portals of a ruined
gravesure strange religious poems like the
Dulogne of Death and the Sinner
Do thu ann latin do nich doraidh tresth lag
lued to end dying to every puor wanderer
lood and drmk rolum I nould act in ant
Ils proper piya nt to the man requesting ruch
דימונו
Och is not Jesus hard if lic condemns nic!
All these stories of all thesc people he told
had thc unreal shimmering qurity of the
miribe that is seen from Portrusl cliffs a
flattering City 11} a golden diesert surrounded
by 7sts unge sea mist All these songs all these
words he spoke were natuse liad the same
ring is the curf smohe te ( aclıc quality that
is in dari lakes on mountains suunmits in
ploscos nests med chic heather And 10
remember them nou in Neu Jork to see
hafteen years hid changed lum but luule 1
Intic more tremor and slowness in the r alk
1 bon to the great shoulders any cye that
flasiiec le z knife
And what do you think of Acw Yor
Whachi

·MESSER MARCO 1 OIO tion in the glens It was said he had been in ecclesiastical student broad in V1 laclolid and that he had forsiken tut lile And in Frince he had been a tutor in the family of MacMahon roi d Irlande and somewhere he had married and his wife had died and left him money and he had come back to Antrim He had been in the Papal 70x tves and fought also in the American Civil War A stringe oici figure who I new Creek and Itin as well as most professors and who had never forgotten huis Gaclic Antrim will ever color my own writing My Fifth Avenue will have something in it of the licaher glen My people will have always a phrise a thought a Mash of Sc Irıslı mysticism and for that I must eithe thank or blame Malachi Campbell of ++ Long Glen The stories I heard and I) were not of Little Rollo ind Sir Walto Scotts but the horrible tale of the Nak Hangnian who goes through the Valleys Midsuinmer s Eve of Dermot and Cranye the Bright Brests of the Cuile Raid Miere Queen of Connacht of the old of Cuchulajn in the Island of Skye gri' homcly stories such as yon of the sho

·ACESSEP MARCO SOLO
foot ballers of Cushendan whose bril is a
skull and whose goal is the portals of a runca
gorevard strange religious poems like the
Duolil of Death and the Sunner
Do thugainn loistin do gach dcoraih tresthilas
I lied it loulin, to esery poor wanderer
loxdand can then I would see in want
11s I wrient to the man rcqucsling rech
0}{111
Och I not Jesus hard if he condemny me!
Ill these stories of all these people lie told
load the merl shimmering quality of the
mage that is seen from Portrush cliffs 1
guru Cily in a golden desert surrounded
by a scringe sen mist All these songs all these
Tvorels he spoke icre nalive had the same
1911 as the rurf smoke the Gaelic qualıry that
is 11 dark Jakes out mountains summits in
plovcrs nests imid the heather
And to
remember them now in Nex Tork to see
hum
tfiten yeurs had changed im but little a
mure more tremor ind slowness in the talk
a bon to the great shoulders an cje that
flashed like a knife
And what do you think of slew York
Malach

·6 MFSSER MARCO 101 I wis here before your honor will remem ber I fought it the Wilderness I forbore asking him what change he had found I saw his quiering nostrils In a few days he would proceed south when lie had orientated himself after the days of shipboard That night it seemed every one chose to come in and cluster around the fire Rindall the poet and the two blond Danish giris with their hair like flax Traser the golfer just over from Prestwick and a young writer with his spurs yet to win and this one and that one They all hept silence as oldi Maluchu spoke sportsmen artists men and women of the world a hush came on them and their eyes showed they were not before the crackling fire in the long room but imazed in the Antrun glens Yes old Malachi said things were changeri over there and a greater change was liabl People whispered thit in the Valley the Black Pis the Boar without Bristles ha been seen at the close of the day and Templemore there was a bleerling and these were omninolis portents So folks believed and some didnt А ·MESSER VARCO IOLO the great Inish hunter that had won the Grand Naronal the greatest horse in the world But our Van of llar Malachi Oh sure all he could do ins run and a harc of a grey hound could beat him at that but Shaun Spadah a great jumper him as well as a runner in finc horse And did I know that Ked Simon Micener of Cush undall had gone around Portrush in eighteen consecutive fours? A Rathirn Islander had tried to suin across to Scotland but didnt make it and there was great argu na as to whether it has because of the currents or of lack of strength There were rum blings in the Giants Causenay very strange A woman in Oran had the sec ond sight the most powerful gift of second sight in generations There was a new piper in Islas and it was said he was a second McCrimmon And 1 net poct had arisen in Uist and all over the Highlands they were reciting his songs and his Lamenc for the Bruce llas I still as leen for did I sull remember the poems and the great stories Behald the night is of great length 1 quotel Unbearable Tell us therefore of those wondrous deeds ·NFSSER MARCO TOLO I was here bcfore your honor will remem ber I fought at the Wiklerness I forbore asking him what change lie had found I saw huis quivering nostrils In a few days he would proceed south when he had orientued himself ifter the days of shipboird Thit mght it seemed every one chose to come in and cluster around the fire Randall the poet and the two blond Danish girls with their hair like llax Fraser the golfer just over from Prestwick and a young writer with his spurs yet to win and this one and that one They all kept silence as old Malachi spohe sportsinen artists men and women of the world a bush came on them and their eyes showed they were not before the crackling fire in the long room but amazed in the Antrım glens Yes old Malachi sud tugs were changed over there and a greater change was liable People whispered that in the Valley of the Black Pag the Boar without Bristles had been seen at the close of the day and in Templemore there was a bleeding image and these were ominous portents Somc folks believed and some didnt And

·AFS FRAIRCO POLO
9
Dzel 30441 ever sce a scholar standing in
front of a ship of 18111In all his learning he
cmn tind nochm to say to lier And every
penny pitm she country Inons
I asr be listening nox Brian Oge und
let ils the shalus be listening But whether
the schilars font not l m not caring Apope
once listened to mne sath great respect ard a
mar blodbame and poets without number
But the cholars do be turning up ther power
Ini mend you lic got as much schon
as the next man as you ll see from the
Biruing myself is there no room
hens then takes snurl lol Ab
a, be changing

·1 NON ITS NEARING NIGHT ON THE FIRST DAY of spring and you could sec how loath day was to be going for even the short ume until the rising of the sun agzın And though there * 15 a chill on the canals yet there was great lor to the sunset the red of it on the water ebbing into oringe and then to purple and losing itself in the olive pools near the mooring ties And a little wind came up from the Greck islands and now surged and fut tered the way you d think ? harper might be playing loud hear no sound but the mel ody was there It was the rhythm of spring that the old people recognize But the young people would lnon it was spring too by tohen of the gaiety that was in the air For nothing brings joy to the heart like the coming of spring The foll who do be blind all the rest of the eyes do open then and 7 sunset takes them and tlie wce virgin flowers coming up between the stones or the twitter of a bird upon the bough And young women do be preen themselves and young men do be singing year their ing 10 .

·MESSER MARCO POLO
cven they that have the voices of rooks There
is something stirring in them that is stirring
in the ground with the bursting of the
secus
And young Marco Polo threw doun the
quell in the counting house where he was
learning his trade The night was coming on
He was only a strip of a lad and to lads the
might is not rest from work and the quietness
of sleepung but gaming and drinking and
courting young women Now there were
ello women he might have gone to and one
was a great Vencuan lady with hair the red
of a qucen s clorh ind a great noble shape to
her and great dignity But with her he would
only be reciting verses or making grand
stiled compliments the like of those you
hould helt in a play And slule th76 seemed
10 fit in with winter and candlelight it 175
poor sport for spring The other one wis a
black plump kotle goun maler a pleasant
singing httie roman very affection ic and
very proud to have one of the grert Polos
loving her she was cager for Lessing ind
always asking the ind to bc careful of himself
to be putting his clork on or to be surt und
drink something warm when he got home
chrt might for the air from the anals nas

·12
MESSFP MARCO IOLO
clull Tlie great lady was too much of the
mind and the lul goun maker was too
much of the body either of them to be
plcasing young Marco on the first night of
spring
Now it is 1 qucer thing will be plcising
? young man on the first night of spring Ilic
Wandering foot itches and the mind and body
are heen to follow There is that inside a
young inan that makes the huncing dog risc
from the hearth on a moonlight might BC
gor? its myself il care a turn through the
fields on the chance of a bit of coursing A
wcasel maybe or udter Kould l out the
night Or a liarc itself Ay there would be
sport for you! Clie hare running hell for
leather and me after hun over brake and
dell Ay? Ayl Ayi a good lunt s 7 jewel' IN
take a stretch along the roar!
Or there is in him what does be troubling
tlıc birds and they on tropic islands Tuvcct
tweet they grumble A grand place this
surely and very comfortable for the winter
The palm trees are green but I dmther lave
the green of young grass and the sca your
ken it becomes monotonous Do you remem
ber the peaches of Champagne wife and the
cherry trees of Antrım? Do you remembe

·MESSEP MARCO POLO
18
the farmer tho 1135 such a bad shot and his
wilt uab the red petticoatl I m fceling fire
and strong in the wings atourneen that do
you say- Lets bundle and go!
He wandered out with the discontent of
the scason on him The sun had dropped at
Jast and everywhere youd sce corches and
the image of torches in the water On the
canals of the town great barges moved Evers
where ricre fine noblc shadows and thie
splashing of oars There was a great admirals
galley ready to put to sea against Genoa
There a big merchantman back from Africa
And along the canals went all the people at
thic world you d think Now it was a French
min all silks and satins and la-dı da mon
CENT' Or a Spaniard with a pointed beard
and long lcan legs and a long lean skord
And non it was a Creek courtesan whulle as
milk sitting in her gondola as on a throne
Here was a Muscovite brasry dirty with fine
fror and fine jewels and reeth siurp as a dogs
And not an effeminate Greek nobleman
langud as a bride And here were Moorish
captains Othello s men great giants of black
marble and swarthy hook nosed merchanis
of Prlestine and the squures of Crusadersom
pretty ringleicd boys shearing like demons

·14 MFSSPR MARCO POLO And here ind there were Scots and Irish mercenaries kuited sensitive folk one mo ment smiling at you and the next a knife in your gizzard And as he went through the courts there were whispers and laugher and occasionally a soft voice invited him to enter but he smiled and shook his head Near thc Canal de Mestre which is close by chc Ghetto he stopped by the wine shop called The Prince of Bulgaria and he could hear great disputution And some were speak ing of Baldwin II and how he had no gut to have let Palæologus take Constantin from him And others were murmuring au Genoa Mark us they mean trouble the dogs Better wipe thein off the face of th earth now And a group were discussing th chances of raiding the Jewish hingdom of 1 Yemen They ve got temples there rows with gold And an Irish piper plaving on a little silver set of pipes and Indiin magician was doing great sleight hand 1 11 So in and talk to the strange fu people said Marco Polo

·Non JOU MICUT BE TINAINT TU 11 Tet
picture I m drawing is out of my own head
Let you not be thinking of 175 it is nou a
City of shadows and ghosts with a fex scant
Visitors mooning 11 lt canals The Pride of
the Il est she 175 the Jenel of the East
Constantinople was her courtyard Greece
Egypt Ibyssinia Bulgaria und Muscovy her
ten nuc fields The Crusaders on their nay
to fight the Saracen stopped to plead for fier
help and generosus There were no soldiers
more chnalrous not even the French There
acre 110 better figlitcis 3101 even the High
land dan Salors You think thosc fellons
117 invented the sea And as for riches incl
treasures oht the tsonder of the world she
was! Tribute she far from every where the
four great horses of Saint Alark they cane
from Constantinople The tno grear marlic
columns fromg clie Pizzetta sure they canne
from We 11 hen forcign powers wantal the
1071 of inoney it w3s 10 Venkt slicy came
Consider the probiry of Venetian ment They
Olice held is pledge the Crown of Ilorn

·16 MESSER MAPCO JOLO itself King Louis IX of Trance redcemed it The processions of the tridespeople were like a kings retinue and they marching in state on the election of doge Euch in their separate order they d come the master smiths first as is righit «very one garlanded like a conqueror with their banner and their buglers The furriers next in erming and taffeta the tanners with silver cups filled with wine the tulors un white with ver million stirs the wool workers with olive branches the quilt makers in clorks trimmed with fleur de lis the cloth of gold weavers with golden crowns set with pearls the shoe mahers in time silk while the silk workers were in fustian the cheese dealers and pork butchers in scarlet and purple the fish mongers and poulterers armed like anen of wir the glass makers with elegant specimo of their art the comb makers with little bird in cages thc barber surgeons on horsebac' very dignified very Icarned and with tu youd think thered be an end to them ) cast your cyc back on that procession you d find guilds as far as your sight wc reach I et you be going down the markets - what would you see for sale Boots cloti

·VESES VIRCO SOLO
17
bread No they were out of sight but sout
tered on the booths thic like of larls of brlach
on ? lur day you d find choses and nutmegs
me and ebony from Voluciys that
come bi of Alexandria and the Syrian
ports sandalwood from himor in Asia cam
phor from Borneo Sumatra and Java sent
benzoin to her marcus Cochin China sent
butter zdec mecul 110m China and Japan and
from Suum cume gum pkes silks chessmen
and cunostics for the purtor kubics from
Pes e iloihs hom Coromanddi and finer
sull bom lengal They got sphenaru] from
Repuud and Bhutan liar diamonds every
from ( ulud lrni Varinul they purchased
Dimisen tuel for their stords Nor is that
all you d see and you d be going down by the
siarhus ? A munay morning and a fine trink
ang fon son al nomrin on your itin loud
see pearls and supplures topar and cinnamon
frum (evlon lac and agales brocades and
coral from Cumbu hammered vessels and in
Ind wepos ind embrontered shan's from
Costumer is for spices neler would your
nostrils mact such in odor bdelliun from
Scincle suusk from libet galbanum from
Ahoras in from Afghanistan asafetida from
I ctsi penim ambergris and civct from

·18 MESSER MARCO I OLO Zanzibar and froin Zanzibar came ivory too And from Zeila Berbery and Shehri came balsam and frankincense And that was Venice and Marco Polo 1 young man And now it s only a towiu like any other town but for its churches and chals There s many a town has ghosts but none the ghosts that Venice has not kome itself or Tara of the Rings the gor Once did she hold Ranful quoted geous Last in fee And was the safeguard of the West the worth Of Venice did not fall below her birth Venice the eldest Child of I iberty She was a maiden city bright and free No guile secluced no force could violate And when she took unto herself a mate She must espouse the everlasting Sea! Tune is the greatest rogue of all Not all the arrows of Attila cin do the damage of a trichle of sand in an hour glass! Tyre and Si don Carthage ancient Babylon and Venue queen of them all I ain describing Venice to you for this ren son You might now stand where Troy swal once were and say to yourself Was where Helen walked with her little son? Wa this where the loveliest face of ages wept?

·ASSSER VARCO POLO
19
Anci a chull of doubt would come on you and
you would think
Ive been wasting iny sor
row and wisting my love for it 175 al) noih
ing but an old tale made up in a minstrels
head
And someuine in Venice after your dinner
in a hotel you dl go out for 1 wule in a barca
that would have no more romance to it nor
she bor i gullse soul tos and you $3)
on lishing on a cold blustery clay and you
would fuel disappointed you laving come so
far and you d siy
It is a grand story
surcly and bravely did st pass the winter eve
mmg but in t old Vilchi of the Long
Glen the lur of the world'
I wouldn thue you saying the ind I deal
In all I m reling you I d have you to know
therc s nne hipouth of lic

·III AND SO MITCOIOLO WENT INTO THC HIINE shop to see and hear the strange foreign peo ple It was a dark long room very high full of shadows between the flaming torches on the w211 At one side of it wis a great fire burning for all it was the first night of spring At one end of it were the grert barrels of liquor for the thirsty customers black beer for the Eng lish and the Irish grand hairy stuff with great foam to it and brown beer for the Cermans and there was white wine there for the French peoplc and red wine for the Italians asquc buugh for the Scots and rum from the town cane for such as had cold in their bones Ther was all kind of drink there in the brass ba barrels--drink would inzke you mad ai drink would make you merry drink woul put heart in a timid mrn and drink wouk make fighting men peaceful as pigeons drink that would make you forget troublein the brass bound barrels at the end of toom And pleasant fat little men were to ing round serving the varied liquor in 20 ·VISSER PCO LOLO silver cups and fine Venetian glasses for the W!c and in broad bellıd drinking pots that would hold more than 1 quirt And there 1115 sikh a bibel of language is 1195 núver heard but i ont place belore Some of the chinkers were doing and shout ing as they 14 un and grumbling and cursing when they lost ind unit sere singing And som ucre danting to the Irish pipes And there was a knotairund the Indian conjurer But there was onc min by himself 7 1 table And hun bein, so sıkent youd think lic nas shouting for intention He was so restful against the great commotion sou d know lie 175 ? great man You might turn your back on kun und voudl knou loc was therc though he nuser even whispered nor put ou a hnger A fat plt 1575close coupled man he w7s in loose green clothes sith gold brocade on ihem And there were to big gold ear riligy in fuis lobus He smoked a wee pipe with the bowl half ways up a Thc pipe 175 sıfter and 11) stem and the Bau1 no bigger than a ten cent piece His shoulders were very powerful $0 pou nou lie is a un you should be polite to and out of that chest of lus a great slout could come He might have been a workingman only when he fingered his pipe ·MLSER MARCO 101 O Everybody in the room was white and sliken-ill but the sei captun He just tuinps fus pipe 7s iſ nothing hulppened me smokes on llc docsn t cen take a drink froin huisglass And a little while lucr un lush chicituin walks in Hospinor und ngsed uud very tilin You might know he d been fighting the lica then for the lIoly Scpulchre und so entitled to respect nounter what hus condition Amt belund hun arc live clansmcn is moedas lic But a big (crman trooper rolls up And what are you? says the big burly fcl low A gentleman 1 lopre says thc rags,cal chief Tis yourself that says it laughs tic Ger inan trooper lle chucftiin snicks tlıc huule from his armpit and sticks lum in the jugular 15 neat as bc diam nec You ol take that oul Kcyın BCA the IT forms to the kilical man- und thros Incont iniglil sturinble - 0 1$ A conceive roust room I licy were 11 iritirs nl ng ini 11 1

·MESSER MIRCO TOLO
guing the rights and wrongs of the muier All
but the sea captain who says it all and he
never blinked an eyelid never even missed 1
dran of the pipe
And then Marco lolo Lnew lum to be a
Clunman because as all the world knows
Chinamon are never surprised at anytlung

·IV
he says
SO MARCO IOLO GOES OVER AND SALUTES HIM
politely
I wonder if you mind my sitting down by
you for a while
1 perceive you re
from China
The sea captain waves him politely to his
place
I m from Chuna He smiles You guessed
right
Is it long since you ve been in China?
Well that depends upon what you call
long says the captain If you mean time its
one thing If you mean voyage its inother
For you ve got to take into account
adverse winds roundabout turns to avoid
currents possible delays to have the ship
scraped free from the parasite life that does
be attaching itself to the strokes time spent in
birter and undt Other matters too the nt
incs of pirates (rous grained princes who
dont want you to be lening their ports with
a good cirgo in your hold sickness loss of
sails and masts rep urs to the slip It wasnt
a short journey and it 1251 t a long one
says he

·MESSER VARCO SOLO
27
It will be a long ways to Chma I mihink
ing
I can tell you how long it is from China to
here ind you can reverse that and you will
get 1 fur idea of how long it is from here to
China I left Zeitoon with 1 cargo of porcelain
for Japan and traded it for gold dust and
from Japan I went to Chimba to lay in a store
of chessmen and pen cases and from Chambr
I sailed to Java which is the greatest island in
tlic sorld J112 is fifteen hundred miles from
Chambr south and southeast and it took me
four months sailing but 1 sea captın cannot
pass Jazz by (or it is the chuet place for black
pepper nutmegs spelenard galingale cu
bebs closes and all the spices that gron
And I stopped at various small islinds
from there unul I count to Buisma 11 hich is
tlıc island of the unicorns And there we trade
in Pygmies which ignorant people thund are
humu folk They are just nee money with
all the hur plucked out except the hair of the
betrd! Thcie ss great money in tlıcm
I stopped at Sumatra for cocoinuts and
toddly mud just for witer at Dragoian Drigo
tan is not a good city It is filled with sorcerers
wio luc tattooel faces At Lambri I put in

·29
MESSER MARCO POIO
for the sago you buy from the hairy men with
tus
Son never stop at the isle of Andıman
The men there have fres like dogs They are
a cruel generation and c1t every one they can
catch I could tell you a story but I would not
spoil this fine spring might Co rather to the
island of Ceylon and see the kings Ruby
which is the greatest jestel in the world I
stopped there and at Coromandel for the
pearls the divers go down in the sea for and
there are no clothes on that island so that
every one goes naked as a fish And there is the
shrine of Srant Thorns I was there
Gujarat Tana I stopped there The Male
and remale Islands I put into for ambergris
Siestr wuch is full of magicians I was
there 100 Madagascar and / mzibar where
they Ine on camel flesh I was thicre And from
Zanzibar I came north to Abyssinia because
I had to get an ostrich there for the King of
Siam And there was a letter and a porcel ſc
ihe Sultan of Fgypt So I went to Cairo I 112
a month on my hands so I thought I d
over and see Venice because its a hobby
mine you might say to see the world
Now let me reckon Four and threem
seven and four more are eleven and six

·VIESSER MARCO IOLO 29 sevenicen and let us say nine with that and you have twenty six And the month I m for getting on the rocks of Aden is (uenty seven and a week here and a tell there for bod winds and such like It would be safe to put that at three months So its two years and a half since I left China Jou neser says young Marco met iny body in China by the name of Polo Pohlo Poh lo Chuna s a bigger place nor you would imagine laddic Tliere s half 1 hundred million people there These were foreigners Marco explained traders They were at the court of the Great hhan Polo Polo? Well non I think I sc heard of them Was one of them a big red beardal man with a great eye for a horse and a great eye for a nonnan? That would be my Uncle Vaules For Cods sakel And 17s the other a cold tark man good judige of jewel and a grand judge of 2 sword? Hy father Nicholas Polo for Codis sake! you te the son of one and the ucpher of the ocher! Did you know them? Ah inddie how would I be knowing peo

·28
MESSER MARCO POLO
for the sigo you buy from the hairy men with
tails
Son never stop at the isle of Andamar
The men there have faces like dogs They are
a crucl generation and eat every one they can
CitdI could tell you a story but I would not
Spoil this fine spring mghi Go rather to the
island of Ceylon and see the hings Ruby
wluch is the greatest jewel in the world I
stopped there and at Coromandel for the
pearls the divers go down in the sea for and
thert 1re no clothes on that island so that
ciery one goes naked as a fish Ind there is the
shrine of Saint Thomas I as there
Gujarat Tana I stopper there The Mile
and remale Islands I put into for ambcrgris
Svestri which is full of magicians I was
there too Madagyscar and Zanzibar where
they live on cimel flesh I was there And from
Trıbır I came north to Abyssinia because
I had to get an ostrich there for the king of
Som And there was a letter and a parcel for
the Sultan of Egypt So I went to Cairo I had
a month on my hands so I thought I d run
nyer and see Venice because its a hobby of
minc you might say to see the world
Now let me reckon Four and three makes
seven and four more are cleven and six are

·MESSER MARCO IOLO 33 slys hc A cold and boyutiful princess says Var co Polo She is not a cold and beautiful princess says the sea captain She is warm as the sun in carly June and she may be bezutiful and 7 princess but we all think of her zs Golden Bells the little girl in the Chinese garden Dul you ever see her? says Varco eagerly Tell me I sin her before I Icít says the sea cap tain I was at the Klan s palice of Chagan nor seein, of the cluef of the steu ards was there inyuhung I could get for him ud I in foreign parts Ind as I was being rowed back along the river by my ten brawny sailormen what did I pass but the garden of Golden Bells And there she 1175 by the mer side a little broun slıp of a girl in green cuit and trousers with a flower in her dark hur And I lower my bicad in rcverence is uc pass by But I herr lier low merry voice by raison of which they call lier Golden Bells Ho master of the vessell slic calls Where do you go? And the sailors back water with a sinish and I stand up respectfully for all she is only 7 slip of a girl

·34
MESSER MARCO POLO
I go to foreign parts Golden Bells I
tell her to far and dangerous places into the
Indian Ocean To the Island of Unicorns and
to the land where men cat men
I hope you come back safe master of the
vessel she says I hope you have a good voy
age and come back safe It must be a dreadful
strain on your people to think of you so far
away
In all this wide land I tell her there is
none to worry about me I have neither chuck
nor child
Golden Bells will worry about you
then she said and you in the hazards of the
sea And take this flower for luck And she
gave me the flower from her hair And let it
bring you luck against the anger of the ocean
and the enemies all men have And let me
know when you are back because I ll be wor
ried about a man of China and him in danger
on the open sea
And wasn t that a wonderful thing from a
daughter of hubla to me a poor sailor mın?
The son of the hing of Siam came to woo
her with a hundred princes on a hundred ele
plants but she wouldn t have lum I dont
wish to be a queen she told her father How
could I be a queen> I am only Golden Bells

·MESSER MARCO POLO 35 Nor would she have anything to say to the Prince of the Land of Darkness who came to her with sea ivory and pale Arctic gold The sun of China is in my heart and you wouldnt have me go up mto the great coldness to shiver and die? So she remains in her garden by the lako of Cranes with Li Po the great poet him they call the Drinker of Wine to make songs for her and the Sanang Tung Chuh the great magician to perform sonders for her when she is wearied indi Bulagan her nurse to take her to her heart when she is sad And sad she is a lot of the line they icli ine She sits in her girden in the dusk play ing her lute and singing the Song of the Wil low Branches vluch is the saclelest love song in the world And why she should be singing a sad love song is a mystery for lier soft brown beruty is the flower of the world I or there would be no lack of suitors for liet nor is she the one to refuse love The only thing I male of it is that the right hour hasn i come I he beauty of Venice jumps to your eyes but the beauty of this pulis at your heart Little brown Golden Bells in her Chinesc garden singing the song of the Willow

·36
MESSER MARCO 101
Branches at the close of day Is that not
better nor Venice?
But he got no word out of Marco Polo sit
ting with his chin (upped in his hands And
that was the finest answer at all at all

·V
THE TIVES WENT BY IND MITCOI OLO BUNIEN
hunselt with his daily affairs Leeping trach of
the galleasses with merchandise to strange for
away ports buying presents for refractory gov
crnors who dunt cure for foreign trade in
their domuns getung wisdom from the old
clerls and knowledge from the mariners in
the main acting as the son of a great house
while the licads of it were away
Jou would think that he would have for
gotten what the sea captun of China told him
about Golden Bells what with worh and sport
and other women norr luin lou would thunk
that would drop out of lus memory like an old
Time But it stuck there is an old runc somne
times sucks and by dint of thinking he lux
her fast nou in his mind-so fast so clear so
full of life that she might be some one he had
sech w lour ago or 175 going to sec an hour
[rom non He would tlunk of the now merry
non sul eyes of her que the soft sicet volle
of lier by reasoji of which they callcl her
Colden Bells and the clusky little face in
the hair like black silk and the splorch of the
37

·MESSER VARCO POLO
red flower in it She was 15 distinct to him as
the five fingers on his hand it wasn t only she
was clear in his mind s eye but she was inside
of him closer than his heart She was there
when the sun rose so he would be saying Its
? grand dry is in it surely Golden Bells She
was there in the dim counting house and he
going over m the great intricate ledgers the
cleres do be posting carefully with qulls of
che giay goose so that he would be saying
I wonder where this is and that is Surc I
harl my finger on it only 7 moment ngo
(olden Bells And when the dush was fall
ing and the bars caine out and the quiet of
Christ was over everything and the swallows
flew lok on the great cinals she would be be
side him and never a word would he say to
her so near to him would she be
And she wrought strangeness between hum
and the women he knew the great gruve lady
with the large palc mouth lier that was of
his mind and the little black cloak maker
with the eager red mouth her that was closer
than mind or herrt to hini So that the first
found fault ut his poetry
I dont know what s come over you Marco
Polo -and there was a touch of temper in

·VESSER VARCO SOLO 39 her voice - but tliese poems of yours show me you havent your mind on your subject Would you mind telling me when I und bound black hur? she says And you say my bosom is like two little russet apples Now a regular poet once coinpared it to to great silver cups and that is a good comparison though in truth she says he knew as little about it as you And my hands are not like soft Eastern flowers They re the lilies I dont know where you do be getting these Eastern coinparisons she says But I dont like them Tell me pretty boy -she looks Suspicious — you havent been taking any of the strange Egyptian drugs the dark people do be selling in thic dun shops on the quict canals Lool ont pretty boy' Look out! And the little cloak maler grumbled when he was gone I dont know what s wrong with hum says she Or maybe it's something that s wrong with myself but this delicate love isn t all it scricked up to be Its all right in books she says and it s a grand sight and the players doing it but I like a hug slic says would put the breath out of kiss you could feel in the soles of Ind she lay awake and grum you and she says soni feet ·40 MESSER VARCO IOLO says she $?ys she bled Let him be taking his ha di dr courting to those as favor it Its not niy kind and she grumbled through the lonely night I wonder where my husband is nou she sud And wasn t I the foolish girl to be sending lum off! Sure he drunk like a fish and bezt me something cruel but he is a rare lover and the mood on him Sure 1 woman never knows when she s well off And Marco Polo clidn t miss them any more lior you d miss in old overcoat and the winter past All his mind was on w is the Golden Bulls of China And he thought long until his uncle and father came so that he could be off with them to the stringe Chinese land But theres no use to me going there I couldn t marry her She would laugh at me he says she who refused the son of the hing of Siam with his hundred princes on a hundred elephants what is would she have for me whos no better nor a peddler with his prich? But it would be worth walking the world birefoot for to see that little golden face to hear thic low sweet voice they call Golden Beils They came back in due time his uncle Matthew the red hairy man and his father says he

·MESSER MARCO IOLO
the thin dark man who knes precious stones
And he told them he wted to go with thein
when they made their next expedition to
Chinz
lle could be using you after your tram
ing in trade says the father But Varco Polo
would take no interest in barter Sure you d
better come along says his uncle Matthew
There s great sport to be had on the road
Lissing and courting the foreign women and
not a word of language between you barring
a smile and a laugh
I have no interest the eign women
Uncle Matthew
Then its the horses you ve been herring
about the fine Arb horses faster nor the
wind and the little I ersian ponies they do be
playing polo on ind the grand Tatar hunters
that can jump the lieight of man and they
sure footed as a goat Ah the horses the
bonny horses!
Ah sure Uncle Matthes tis little I know
of horses Sure I know all about boats racing
and trade and war boats but 1 horse is not hin
to inc
Then what the hell s the use of your going
to China?

·42
MLSSER MARCO I OLO
Ah sure that s the question I misking
myselt Uncle Matthew But I have to go
do so I here is something calling ine Uncle
Mattheuma bell in my ear father s brother
and there sarın,ing bell in my heart

·VI
I SHALL NON TEIL YOU HOW IT CAME 1BOUT
that Marco Polo sent to China with lus uncle
and father though he had no cye for a bar
gain or interest in courting foreign women
or sense of horses
Now as you may know this was a great
religious time The Crusaders fucling shimo
that the Scpulchrc of the Lord Jesus should
be in Sarıon hunds had come with horse
foot and artillery to Palestine to give tribute
of arms to Hun who lud died for them on
the Bittor free And great ſents were per
formel und grand battles won Ind hings Ix.
caint saints like Louis of Frunce ud saints
became hings lihe Baldwin of Constiti
nople Mighty wonders were seen ind i
ncfes performed so that people sud
Mow
will be the second coming of Christ and the
end of the world
And a great desire cinc on the Christian
people to tell the truth of Christ to the strange
and forcign peoples of the world So that every
day out of Jerusalem you would see fruirs lut
ting the road some of them to confront the
43

·MESSEN MARCO IOLO
Wizards of the Land of Darkness and some to
argue theology with the old lamıs of Tibet
und some to convert the sunny Southern is
lands where the young women do be letting
clown their hur and the men do be forgetting
Cod for them And all over the world there
was spreading a great rumor that the truth
of all things was at last known
Even Kubla h han had heard of it far off in
China and he lind charged the uncle and
father of Marco with a message to the Pope
of home Let the pope be sending some thie
ologians to his court and they d argue thic
matter out and if he was satisfied that this
new religion was the True Religion then
he d turn Christian and tell his people to turn
Christian too And let them be bringing buch
some of the Oil of the Lamp which burns in
the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem and is a cure
for all the ills in the world
And when they came to the City of Acre
sure the pope was dead And they waited a
long time but no nos popc was chosen sc
they decided to go back because they had a
good business there and they didn t want
lose it And yet they know therc d be tro
with the Crand khan if they didnt br

·MESSER MARCO POLO 45 says Ni says he back the news of the True Religion and peo ple to argue it I ve been a long time trading colo and its a queer thing but the more trading you do the less religion you have the argıring of religion would not come easy to me And I d be up against experts I m not the man for at How about you Mat thew Oh sure they d never listen to me Mat thew laughs- me that s drank with them and deludhered their women and gambled until I left them nothing but the sweat of their brows Id be a great one to preach religion to them Why man they d laugh at me But I iell you what Nicolas Theres a bishop in Negropont ud I know where he lives and I know his house and everything What do you shy Nicolas Well just throw a bag over his head and the lum on a horse On sure he d give grand discourses to the Great Khan Have sense Mattheu hwe sense You re always too rough always ready to end an argu inent with a knife or just lift what you want Have sense man you can t hidnap a bishop like you d lidnap 1 womin Well I don t see why not says Matthew It would be easier too because a woman wall ·46 MESSER MARCO IOLO he says Well then how gone rel scratch like a wildcat But if you re set against it I wont do it about young Marco? My sound man Matthewl my bully fe' lou ! Sure you were never at a loss yet! loung Marco it is sure t is the clegant idea There not 1 man born of womın better for the job Nou all the Christian would had grous and young Marco was no exception t is not only the old that are religious T young are too but there s a difference T religion of old men is reason and translation the religion of the young is just a burni cloud The tragedy of the Bitter Trec is ni i symbol to them but a reality and their lua pre not of the spirit but of the body 100 And there are no half way houses no cc promises in a young man s creed It s swallu all or be damned to you It s believe or bc And thunking over the little girl in the CI nese garden there lind come into Marco heart a thought past enduring If litt Golden Bells did not belicic then 1 Coiden Bells was lost She inglıt have cv thing in this world in this life in cmpe for a father hings for suitors ? great poct a ininstrel 7 wizard for an entertainer b once thc little blue shaclos leſt her body sł f ·MESSER MARCO POLO 47 was lost forever And tlie sight came to him of little Golden Bells going down the dim and lonely alleys of death and weeping weeping weeping Her eyes would be shot withi panic ind the little mouth twisted and the little flowery liands twitching at each other And it would be cold there for her who was so warm and it would be dark there for her who loved light and the Colden Bells of her love rould bc lost in the substling and clang ing of the stars as they siung by in their or = bits He to be in the great delight of paradise - and she to be in the blue grcy muze between the worlds-what tragedy hings might bring her presents a husband might bring her happiness but if he could only bring her salvation' If he could only tell her of the Bitter Tree! The body when you came to think of it mattered little All the beauty in the world could not endure more than its appointed :span Helen was dust non and Deirdre noth ing What had become of the beauty of Semi rumis Alexandler s darlıng and Cleopatra : who loved the great proconsulind Bath shebn for thom David of the Psalins fell from grace And Billis queen of Shebr with lier lapes ivory and peacocks Dust and ashes - C -- ·48 MESSER MARCO IOLO dust and ashes! And Scheherzade was but a stringe 971 sound Beauty increased and w med like the moon A little slidow around the eyes 1 little crinkle in the neck the bucks of the Irunds stiffening lhe parciment Dust und ashes lust and shes! But the lutle blue shadow would glow like an Easter morning Or it would be a poor lonely unlit shadow in the cold gloom of the clinging worlds Poor Colden Bells! Poor little weeping Colden Bells! If he could only tell hier about the Bitter I rec! And then what happens buelus uncle Mat thew claps him on the back Hou woull you like to go to Chunn Marie Maricen and presch religion the benighted people! How did you know Uncic Matthieu ? Ilou did I know what? That I wanted to go to China and prezi rcligion to the-she people! Well if that doesn t bcat Binaghor $7 Mutlicu Polo and Binagher beats the desi Telline did you ever hear in old cune call Bundle and Go!? And so the three of thein lenye upont says he

·MESSER MARCO IOLO
49
journey but at Layas where the king of Ar
menia had his castle they heard of the elec
tion of a new pope so they came back to Acre
to get his instructions and blessing

·18 MESSER MARCO POLO dust and ashes! And Scheherzade was but a strange sad sound Beauty incrensed and waned like the moon A little shadow around thic yes a little crinkle in the neck the bucks of the lands stiffening like parchment Dust and ashes dust and ashes! But the little blue shadow would glou like nn Faster morning Or it would be a poor lonely unlit shadow in the cold gloom of the clanging worlds Poor (olilen Bells! Poor little weeping Colden Bells! If he could only tell her about the Bitter Tree! And then what happens but hus uncle Mint then clips him on the back How would you like to go to Chunn Marco Varhecn says he and preich religion to the benighted people! How did you know Uncle Matthew? How did I know what? That I wanted to go to China and presch religion to the-the people! Well if that doesn t beat Binagher says Matthew Polo and Binagher beats the devill Tell me did you ever hear an old tune called Bundle and Go!? And so the three of them leave upon their

·MESSIT MARC(1011)
11
ourney but at Layns wliere di ling of Ar
menia had his castic tacy licord of the chur
tion of a neni pope so clicy cime buurt 100 101
to get his instructions and bloom

·VII
THE VOIE SUID A CR IND MAS) FOR TUTM AND
ut the gospel he enters the pulpit a burly fig
ure of a man with sad eyes
The blessing of the Tather ud the Son
and the Holy C host be with you and about
you Amen
It is not to you Micolo Polo that I nush
to speak nor to you Matthew lolo for noi
ther of you are my ambassuors to the Creat
khu Verchant and sportsman I honor you
and you have my blessing but you have no
hopes of mmc The dirty diversions of the
world are beliecn your cycs ind glory sud
he
Its only myself an old und sorrowful
man and this chuld a young and hopeful one
can understand old men living sight of v
sions and young men dreaming dreains
Now in the matter of converting the Gicat
Khin and luis numerous millions first let wis
dom speak I liave little lopes He wants to be
Irucd into it you see Religion is not a mar
ter of argument It is a wisdoin that surpasses
sisilom It drifts in men s souls is the fog
deu comes unbidden to the trees It is born
50

·VESSER VARCO I OLO 51 before our soul as tlic horned noon k born before our eyes 1 And now my child you might say Whar is the use of sending me to China if he knows I cannot bring these millions into the fold? My dear son there is the wisdom surpassing wisdom Agilat and noble thought must not die Things of the spirit we cannot rechon as 1 husbandman reckons his crops There roll on the muchos of Europe and they wil ever gong into battle and they always fall Their results are nothing But then name and their glory will endure foiever My dcar son God has put wisdom in my head and beautymto yours Wisdom is nuud for the governance of this world but beauty pis needed for its existence in and deserts there is no liſe Buds do not sing in the dark of night Shou me a waste country and I 11 show you a brutal people No futh can live that is not bezutiful The beauty God has put in your heart child you must alway Icep How much I think of it I ll tell you I man old man now an old and broken man and in a few years 1 ll stand before iny Vízster What hive you seen on my earth Hell ask me you who followcd St Peter!

·mighty things I ve seen the bridegroom leave MESSER MARCO POLO Lord! Lord! I ll tell him fie scurt and his bride and the king lus kingdom the fuck sker lease his booth and the terper drop his hool that they might rescue Tour Holy Se pulchre from pngan hands And anythung else) Hell ask And I ve scen 1 young man go out int the desert and over bis heut) as a star Sou my thunk you have failed chuld but reinember that in the cospmg tunes your name and fame will maken boruty inny s the traveler on the hard road will fin! hus courage again and lic tunding of Mars Polo And many sthe young man will dream drcains and many s the old man will see v sions and they reading the book by the gol candle light and manys the young girl will Give you love and you dead for centuries Bull for thuis you must heep your dream Now you ll think its the qucer pope I am to be telling you things like this instead of demanding (onieris But the wisdom that sur passes wisdom comes to you with the Anoint ing of the Oil Incly 1 man in Christ abose fourteen years ago urhes Szint laul (whether in the body I cannot tell or ·110n nemincio (121 - if I do not rement Adhaereal lingua mea faucibus meis * MESSER MARCO Polo 53 whether out of the body I cannot tell God knoneth) Hon that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words which is not law ful for a man to utter Non you see there is a wisdom surpassing wisdom and it is out of this fount of wisdom Tamdru ing when I speak to you these words Child I will not keep you any longer Only to say this and this is the chiefest thung never let your dream betohen from you keep If unspotted from the world in darkness ani! in tribulation it will go with you as a friend but in wealth and power hold fast to it for then is danger Let not the mists of the world the gay diversions the little triſles draw you Remember! Si oblitus fuero lui Jerusalem get thee Jerusalem Oblivioni detur dextera mea-let my right hand forget her cunningfrom glory If I for thee let my tongue cle 11e to the roof of mouth- Sinon proposuero Jerut партів

·56
MESSER MARCO I OLO
eorgh? whose kings are born with the mark
of an eagle on their right shoulder They
passed through Persia where the
magicians
worship fire And they passed through the
city of Saba wliere sleep the three mig, who
came to worship 2 Bethlehem and their
names were haspar Balthasar and Melchior
And they passed through Cum di where
great ruins are ind robbers roun through the
magical darkness Ind they passed northwarıl
of the Perilous l alley where the Devils Head
is in black stone and that is one of the nunc
cntruces to hell and passed the Valley of the
Coul drills where there are serpents fise fath
oms in length and passed the Valley of Cruel
Women who live precious stones in place of
yes
And they went through the Disual Descrt
licre no strcin sang
And in the desert they passed the Trees of
the Sun and Moon shuch spark with the
voices of men And it was from the Spealing
Trcc that Alexander heard of his death And
17 118 near there that he and Dinus fought
And they passcel the Arbre Sec the Dry Tree
which has a green bark on one sile und white
on the other and there are no trecs within ?

·NILSSER MARCO I OLO
57
red miles of that tree and it is sprung
the staff of Adam
nd they passed through Balkh the Mother
Cities And they passed through Taihan
ere the great salt mountains are And they
sed through Badashian where the moun
hs of the rubies are And they passed
fough Kashmir whose women are very
rutiful and whose magicians weave the
jongest spells in the world
And moons were born und died
And they came to Alamoot the fortress of
ener de Monte the Old Man of the Moun
ain the king of the Assassins the greatest
izard of all time
Now this is the tale of the Old Man of the
fountain
Whenever within his dominions there was
fine young horseinan the Old Man would
put a spell on hum ind draw hum to the Castle
$f Alamoot and outside of the castle sleep
pould come on lum And when he woke up
he would be inside the castle in the wonder
ful gardens Ind they d tell him hic was dend
ind a paradise And paradise it would be for
him what with the lovely women and the
great playing on the flutes the birds singing
and the sun shiming tlit crystal rivers and

·No text on this page.

·I him what thith the lovely women and great playing on the Nutes the birds sing and the sun shining the crystal Tilers and MESSER MIRCO SOLO 57 Jundred miles of tlırt tree and it is sprung from the staff of Adam And they passed through Balkh the Mother of Cities And they passed through Tailan where the great salt mountains are And they passed through Badashan where the moun tains of the rubies are And they passed through Kashmir whose women are very beautiful and whose magicians weave thic strongest spells in the world And moons were born and died And they came to Alamoot the fortress of Senex de Monte the Old Man of the Moun lain the king of the Assassins the grcatest wizard of all time Now this is the tale of the Old Man of the Mountain Whenever within his dominions there was horseman the Old Man would put a spell on hun and dras him to the Castle of Alainoot and outside of the castle sleep would come on him And when he woke up he would be inside thic castle in the wonder ful gardens And they d tell him he was and in paradise And paradiselt kould bef* a fine young 1

·IX
AND SO TUE WENT ON FISTULARD EXER EAST
ward and tlie moons were born gren wand
and died
They passed through Khot in where the
clivers bring up jude from the rivers whic
jide and black de and green jude veined
with gold They passed through Canl the
shameful city whose women are in and wan
ton sliose inen arc cuckolds And they passed
through the province of Chiungolos ulcru
are the mount uns of the Salamanders 7 hcy
passed through the city of Campuchi wliere
there are inort idols th in inen ind thicy
passcil through the great city of Samarkand
where thic Green Stone is on which Iumurs
throne was set
And inoons ucre born
und died!
i licy pissed through langut where thic
men will not carry the dead out thuough the
door of a house but must break a hole in the
wall And thicy passed through hialchia
where there are snow shute cainils And they
passed through the lands of Prestur Jolin
And now they were in the latır linds
69

·MESSER MARCO POLO
63
There passed them losing musk oxen There
passed them the wild asses of Mongolia There
passed them the barbarians with their great
tents on wheels There passed them the black
jowled savage idolaters There passed them
the pretty white faced women There passed
thiem huge abominable dogs
And they came to the town of Lob and a
new moon arose and they entered the Desert
of the Singing Sands

·X
IVIIRI VIR JIL Y NINT NON WAS SAND AVDA
dull haze that made the sun look like a copper
coin And a great silence fell on the caravan
and noulung was heard but the crunch of the
camels puds and the tinkle of the cimels
bells And no green thing was seen
And a great terror feil on thic cirvan so
that one night 2 turd o'the car vun deserted
The rest went on in silence under the dull
un And now they ca ne across a village of
white skeletons grinning in the silent sand
And at mult there was nothing heard not
2.2.1.. l...of.Tam Analart of an

·MESSER MARCO POLO
65
terror saying Were we ever any place where
green was where birds sang or there was
slicet water? Or maybe we are dead Or maybe
this was all our life and the pleasant towns
and the lamplight in the villages and the aprı
cots in the garden and our unes and chil
dren maybe they were all a dream that we
Woke in the middle of Let us lic down and
sleep that we may dream again
But Marco Polo would not let them lie
down for to lie down was death But hic droue
them onuard Ind again thcy complained
Surely Cod never saw this place that He left
it so terrible Surely He was never here He
175 never hcre
And now that their minds were pitched to
the height of inadness the warlochs of the
elesert took shape and jeered at them and the
hite sheeted ghosts fitted alongside of thein
and the goblins of the Gobi hartied them
from behund And the sun was like dull cop
per through the haze and the moon lihen gut
tering candle ind stars there were none
And when the moon is at its full they
come to the Hill of the Bell And through the
111, the Bell sient gongh gonųh gon, l un
til they could feel it in every fiber of their
boilies and their skin itched with it The

·GG
VESSER MAXCO 101
would stop their cirs But they would hear
it in the palms of their hands and the soles of
their feet Gonghi gongh gongh
And when they left the Hill of the Bell
there were only six of the crray in left and ?
multitude of white shected ghosts And the
cirvan plodded onuard dully And nou the
warlocks of the desert played another cruelty
Afar off they would put a seeming of alle
and thic triclers would press on gladly any
ing There is 17eri uuer! Cod lives! Cod
lives! But there was only sur And now it
would be a green vision and they would cry
Welaic come in the ulgeol clicclcsert aler
the long night dann God lives' Cod Inco!
But there would be only sund sind And nou
It would be a city of shuning domes in the dis
rance - And they would nudge one another
and cronk There are men there brother
secure streets and merchants in their booths
people to tall with and water for our poor
throuls But there would be only sund sauld
sand And they would cry like children
God is dend! lluent you heard Dont you
anon codis dend in les heuen ind ilic
warlocks are loosed on the land?
And on thic last day of the moon they welc

·67 ing wind came and the sands rose and the little Golden Bells! The wind boomed like to Jesus! O little Golden Bells! And the VIC of his father and uncle were like the te Ilheres the lad, V3 you got to Lad of our heart wler But they couldnt find each other TE Thc sinds snurled like a dog the*** MESSET VARCO POLO all but in sight of the desert s edge though they didn t knox And the goblins and the warlocks took counsel for they were now afraid Marco and his few people would es cape They gathered together and they read the runes of the Flowing Sand And suddenly the camels rushed screaming into the desert with sudden panic and a burn desert heeled like a ship and the day became right And young Marco Polo could stand on more That was the end the end of him the end of the world the end of everything There uns red darkness everythere and he could sec nobody O my Lord Jesus! he cried 0 an organ The sind screamed Omi Lory Where s our lad? Vark Vach, buffeted them like shuttlecocks ing of birds Oh Golkar mered like druins

·68
MESSER MARCO I OLO
Inule Golden Bells! O my Lord Jesus must
it end here?
And the fight went out of him and a big
sob broke in lum and hic lay down to die

·I SHALL NOW TELL YOU or COLDEN BELLS ANI YER IN THE CHINESE GARDEN

·I WOULD I117 TOU NOW SEE YER AS I SLF SIER
sunding brlore Li Po the greit poet in lier
green costume And 1. Po big fat wuh sail
yes ind a twisted mouth uncomfortable 35
be damned I he sun shone in the grden the
bunterlies the red and blue and golden but
Icritics hitted from blossom to blossom Am
the bees dronca 110 on the bus of the
green like the kingfisher tunnclcd bus »cc
house ud the word shook the blossoms of
the pple irtis Inil: lost on the ble
slab and was very uncomfortable Inc in 1
clash wer w75 Sanant le 13 sgkusan soxxl
in lile noul 11 Cokles Belts swxxl be
fore L P 1 thut scrc furt it 115 in Bio
CS
Du {ulier or I ever do anything in
you Isl'o that you should make a song sushi
uthus sing !!1 dic ?lula place
What sollib
The Song of the Cochino
I dont remor
Nirem yox lilo Iluse alighalon
the bakony of the hing of 1997) fil song

·No text on this page.

·MLASER MARCO I OLO
And I go down to the drinking booths mat
and the passion of drinmg comes on me~
fury gunst myself and a fury against the
World And the folk do be following me to see
will I lut drop one gem of verse that they can
tcll their grindchildren thicy heard from the
lips of Li Po And when my heart is high wath
the drmking I take i lule from a traicing
poct and not knowing what I in saying
compose the song On of fallon sorron bloom
the lule songs You must be hard on an ok
man wo Colden Beils zu be thanking larg
for lus acid friends
All por I, PO Sie sud und slie lied
grows 7? soft gun Isil soierrible to be
I
Non you ask me question (olden Bells
and ill give you an anser Besides its part
of my duties to cuch ou wisclom Non 10 ks
not 1 terrible thing at all call to be old I
sce the young folh start ou mlife und bclore
llium theres the showers of April turcs
mund and licut ind tunder and ligheams,
Bulimin 1715 bronn October and all of
It s gont l» mc ind in 1 little nuk I ll sleep
and t is I ncu o (od help mc' 7 he old clone
skep intich wec (olden Bells 50 tis
foul to look fortir 10 On rest alter the
CON

·No text on this page.

·XIII
AND NOW WEN MARCO POLO WAS RESTED AND
had recovered they brought him from the
Consent of the Red Vonks to where the khan
was in the city of Chandu Now there were
two palaces in Chandu there was the winter
palace which was of marble and the summer
palace which was of gilt cane Around these
palaces there was built a wall sixteen miles in
compass and inside of it was a park of foun
tains and rivers and brooks with the speckled
trout in them and meadows with the laik at
her ease in the grass and trees of all varieties
where the little birds do be building and
none to grudge them a home And all the wild
animals were abundant the timid hare and
the wild deer and the wee croaking frogs
long legged colts by their white mothers and
little dogs tumbling over themselves with the
sport of spring Brown bees among the clover
strawberries in prolusion trees would delight
your eyes and brown coks and black cows
ar
appled moilies under the great leaves of
them and lambs would be snowy officece All
the flowers of the world were there thc para
77

·78 MESSER MARCO POLO dise of wild things it was the park of kubla khan In Sanadu did kubla hhan quoted young Randall A stately pleasure dome decree Where Alph the sacred river ran 1 hrou, h caverns measureless to man Don to a sunless sea So twice five miles of ferule ground With walls and towers were girdled round And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills Where blossomed many an incense bearing tree And lere cic forests ancient as the hills Enfolding sunny spots of greenery Whose poem is that poem Brian Oge? It is a poem of Coleridge s Malach I thought it was maybe a poem of Col quitto Dall McCrachen of Skye that one of you lads had put English on It is a poem of the head you ken and Colquitio being a dark man could only see with the eyes ghost But it hasnt the warmth the life of the work of Blind Colquitto Brian Oge do you mind the poem Angus Vore Campbell of Ratılın wrote to Colquitto Dall? Is aoibhinn duid Colquitlo Dall І те membered It is hippy for thee blind Col quitto who dost not sec inuch of women If thou wert to see what we see thou wouldst

·MESSER MARCO POLO
79
be tormented even as I am My sorrow 0
God that I was not stricken blind before I
saw her amber twisted hair!
Thats it that s it Brian Oge But this is
not the place to be talking of poetry There
is no poetry in this story
I will now tell you of Marco Polo and hun
entering the presence of the Great Khan

·AND MARCO POLO WAS BROUCIT INTO TIR
presence in among all assemblert theic jou
could hear a pin drop
At the north end of the great fall $?!
the khan himself and Varco Polo nearly
dropped with surprise for where he expecta!
a great magnificent figure of a man with
jesty skosaving from his eyes lie stw only a
pleasanı bearded man not qurier so well
dressed as thic meinest servant on the room
and 1 line welcommg smile in his fice
11one was clevated so that his feet 1cTC ON
the level of the heails of the hansmen of the
Blool Royal bencach lum and they un silk
100 ermine a line brocides and jewels Aurel
beneath these acre ile barons and dulcs 11
hnghes in beneath these were the captams
of the highting men three thousand and three
Ind benczıl hese were the musicans the
sorterers And behind hubla hlian cry big
very erect sood his three great seri anus the
heeper of the Hunung I copards the keeper
of the Speaking Drums and thick ceper of the
hhan s Swords
Bu

·give in the words of Him ist VESSER MARCO IOLO 81 And beside hubla h han on a little throne sat Golden Bells And it was the sight of her more than the sight of the great assem bly that dumbed the words in his mouth And kubla was smiling at him and she was smul ing 100 And hubla sau there cas omething wrong with him that there was ernbarrassment on him and he rose from his throne There is welcome for you herc Marco Polo and no enmity There is inurest in and eagerness for your incssage There is none here will criticize you or make it hard for you Let there be no shame on you in speaking be fore so many people Say what you ha «ir cay as if there were nobody here if that of hels you barring myself and the littls iawnhinta beside me O Emperor the words (21 € Prack 1 Marco Polo and ye great prize duket and marquises counts Iniet and the gesses and people of all degut aus der the light of the world grace for pre you peace from Cod our Father and forte Lord Jesus Christ! The message I have to t sage it is ·82 VESSER NIRCO TOLO Beati pauperes spiritu ~Blessed are the poor in spirit Quoniam ipsorum est regnum caclorum for theirs is the kingdom of heai cu Beati mites -Blessed are the mcek And Marco Polo went on and quotcd lor them the words that were spoken on the Nount in Galilee And they listened to hin Builh great civility and atiention And ladde Golden Bells leaned fornard sub her chin on her funds and hubla lerned back in his throne wuh his eyes half closed But I say unto you thu ve resist not evil but whoever shall smuc thue on the right check turn to luin te oulier also And ut trus the (renkhan looked up puzzled ma movement went though the fighting mou in the hall Berwce Colden Bells ever budget nuc and Varco Polo sent on bl factum est cum consummassel Jesus verba haer - Ind it came to pass wlien Jesus hac cauld these sayings the people were 35 tonished at his doctrine I shall non tell you of the life ani death ofilie Lord Jesus 11c told then of the birth in Bethlchem and of the caching on the fulls and the picts nodded their leads and he told thium of the ·T MESSER MARCO POLO 83 cleansing of the lepers and of the casting out of devils and the raising of Lazarus from the deal and the magicians wondered and he told them of the betrayal by Judas with a kiss and the captains at arms shuffled in their seats and he told them of the scourging and of the crowning with thorns and the Creat khan sniched his dagger in and out of the sheath And a mist of tears came into the eyes of Golden Bells And he told them of the crucifixion be tween two thieses and a great oath ripped from the beard of h ubla khan and the sılver tears ran from the eyes of Golden Bells And on the third day He arose from the dead And a great shout came from the throat of kubla Khan and he stood up He arose from among the dead men ull warrant He showed himself to the Roman Pilate in all His power and majesty – No said Varco Polo Then He showed himself to the thou sands who had seen him die upon the gallows treci No sard Varco Polo Who saw Him then?

·81
MESSER MIRCO IOLO
His twelve Apostles and they in a little
room!
And Kubla hlin sat down suddenly and
sud no more There was a moment sinurmur
of wonder among the assembly and then si
lence And Marco s heart fell And he was
aware of to things of the greit politeness of
the Chinese people and of Colden Bells pity
ing cyes

·XV WHEN RUBLA KUIAN DISMISSED THE ASSEMBLY and he took Marco Polo into a sitting room and Golden Bells came with them And what did you think sır of what I said? And can you not see sır the truth that s in me? Well now laddie said the Great Khan when we come to examine this sermon you quoted to us what is there in it but the rule of the righteous man? Weve had a great thinker and pious man of our own con fucius I m not a reading man but I ve got an idea that there isnt a thing you said but is embraced in the Ani lects And if it isn t it ll be in the teachings of the Lord Buddha Ah but sir Marco Polo said have to admit that He of liom I speak was the true God made man Now laddie remember I m an old man set in my head and my ways and Ive been used to one belief so long it would be 1 changing So don t press me now dont ine I ask you says he says he you u

·No text on this page.

·MESSER MARCO I OLO 87 going further Sure you d be up against the sorcerers of the world They d ask you for a sign and you d have no sign and they d have signs in abundance I wouldn t think of let ting you go against them Fair plays a jewel and you wouldn t have a chance Theres the Red Pope from Tıbet and there s the Black Magician from Korea and a hundred minor ones and the Warlock of the North from the Islands of Ice who governs the hail and the snow Chuld I wouldn t let you get into the same ring with them They d rum you But sir wasnt it a great miracle of the Lords my rescue in the Gobi Desert? A miracle of the Lord ! A miracle of Golden Bells here it was her magluan saw you and she had the message put on the drums and the desert patrols went to such you It was herself here wee Colden Bulls And Golden Bells mouth gave a smile of shame that his thought should be broken in his mind A long way I m after coming sund Varco Polo and when I set out iny heart was high Now don t betaling it too hard says the Ihan kindly Sure theres a power of good you can be doing liere Vaybe something with Li Po says he id like tine do you can

·88
MIL.SSLR VARCO I OLO
for you to try The man is worrying the life
out of me with his drinking 1 1e1er 1110!
when lie goes out whether he ll come bach all
right or feet foremost on a door For he s got
the bitter tongue when the drunk s m lum
und Cm could 1}} afford to lose hum And
there are some of iny ciplans and the tunc
they re always piping is War: War War!
Ind let s shou up this Alexander whosuud lic
conquered the world And I m past the age
when you unde war for devslment So let you
be helping me out wath them Muco Polo
But Marco Polo hnen thuis was only meant
m kundness and his curt is broken
Ah
sce lady - lie turned to Golden
Bells - vec lachy wee lily uluy didn t you
let sie die in die dosere Why didn t I die?
And why should you die Varco Polo?
Herkou sweat voice rang 1 tle herr of bu
Duda i you come here to gre your unessage?
Andio mke converts And didnt I hear your
33essage? And am not your convert Marco
Polop

·XVI
AND NOW THE PLACE Or Lil O WAS USURPED
and
gone Sanang with his magic glass and in
the
jasinine garden by the Lake of Cranes
Marco Polo sat and instructed Golden
Bells

·XVII
AND E TOND THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT
when savage Herod reigned and of the Jew
ish mud and lier child sleepmg beneath the
shadow of the gyl at hplumx while the shades
of the old lfric gols looked on m reverence,
Amenalk und Thoth and the moon hornca
lo Isss and Osiris Ind thc painted kings
knclt 117 their piruds and art of the slug
gish Mile came the stringe aquua popula
tion the torpul crocodiles and monstrous
waler )izords and she greus hippoporus dum
bered to bow before the Intele Lord of all
thongs
And he told hier how Satan had rempted
Him on the lonely black craigs
But you are not listening Jule Golden
Bells
Indecu 1 an Discoming Marco Polo Ics
sndeert I amn I love to hear your voce Vluco
Polo You are so earnest Marco Polo these
25 such a light in your eyes Listen Xſarco
Polo Li Po once stole a poem Ilhsie Gleasi
the Cssils ind ss the poem by which he is
best knoun and every time I licar it there 1$ *
go

·MESSER MARCO POLO
91
an echo in my heart But Marco Polo I never
listened to Li Pos song so eagerly as I am
listening to your voice
But you are not taking it in little Colden
Bells
It is very hard to take in Marco Polo It
happened so long ago It is hard to think of a
tragedy in a strange country and we in this
garden on the second moon of spring Ind it
was so very long ago Do you hear the bees
Marco Polo-the bees among the almond blos
soms And see the blue heron by the lotus
flowers And do you see the little tortoise
Marco Polo and he sunning himself on a leaf?
If I throw a pebble Marco Polo he will dive
and he is such a clumsy diver Varco Polo!
But you must listen Colden Belts and be
lieve me
I do believe Varco Polo I honestly do
Don t you know I believe you? Inything you
say Marco Polo I believe lou wouldnt be
coming all the way over the world to be tell
ing me a lie Of course I believe
And doesn t it make you happy Golden
Bells?
Once I was unliappy Varco Polo I used
to sit here and on my lute I used to play the
Song of the Willou Branches which is the

·02 MESSIR VARCO I OLO saddest song in the world Under the moon I used to be lonely and the dronmg of the becs meant nothing to me and now it is a sucet brave song I cannot play Willow Brinches any more so alien is sadness to me and the moon smiles I am very happy Marco Polo It is the True Religion little Golden Bells that males you happy Is it Marco Polo? Is it? It must be I supose I dont hnow what it is but I u very appy

·XVIII
AND HE TOLD HER OF PAUL WHO HAD SEEN A
Vision and gone preaching through the world
who was persecuted who was shipwrecked
who was bitten by a viper and who survived
everything that he might preach the Lord
Jesus He was a fierce ragged man with burn
ing eyes And he told her of Pauls in
structions to moinen
You do not look at me when you speak
Marco Polo Only your voice comes to me not
your eyes Is it because of Paule
And Marco Polo felt great trouble on hun
because he could not explain But Golden
Bells went on
There is little in your faith about women
Marco l olo Is it a faith only for men thcui?
Is it against women Vlust the young men not
look at the young women?
No Golden Bells the young men must
not look too much on the young women
But that is very foolish Marco Polo Is it
wrong to see the beauty of the almond blos
soms wrong to taste the scented wind? Is it
wrong to watch the kingfisher seeking luas
93

·11 MESSCR VARCO TOLO sest Is y wrong to unch the moon the stars? All these are very beautiful Marco Polo so berutful as to make me cry Is it wong 10 11uch then It is not wrong (olden Bells The glory of Cod is in the beruty of lus handicraft Li Po is old and wise and a great poct Marco Polo and La Po says there is beauty a running horse and beauty in a running stream but there is no bezuiy like the beauty of a young woman and she letting some lior lair Cod made thic berury of women 100 Marco Polo as well as thc bcauty of the stars Won t jou please explain to me fuco lolo Why soulais do szy ole ihmg mů Sam Taul another But Collen Bells Saint Paul is inspired of Cod But I Pois inspirat of Col too Vasco Lolo SOU SISI i be sunking httle of Li Po He is fat udtald and drunken but when he sings Marco Polo jus the song of the winder ing stars But why must not the young man louk at the song somen Marco Polo Uthy *Huse thily not look touch their cycs) It will be hard for me to tell you Coklon Bclis Loob at me now Vasco Polo Isle up

·MESSER MARCO POLO
95
your eyes and look into my eyes Is there evil
in me Marco Polo that your eyes should
avoid me as the fox avoids the dog? Or maybe
I am not beautiful Maybe they told me
wrong because I was a king s daughter and
they would not have me think little of myself
Maybe I am not beautiful Marco Polo inay
be I hurt your eyes
sin
Ah Golden Bells the little horned moon
is not more beautiful
Then why must not the young men look
at the young women Marco Polo? You are
here to instruct me Won t you tell me why?
Maybe-may be-maybe it is for fear of sin
Golden Bells
Sın? Sin! Why should there be sind I know
Marco Polo They have warned me
against it since I crept upon the floor There
are two sins There is meanness Marco I olo
and there is cruelty and those are the only
sins I know your heart Alarco Polo there is
no meanness there lou would not have come
here were you mean The mean do not travel
afar for other people And cruelty! Surely you
would not be cruel to me Marco Polo Jou
would not be cruel to anybody dear Maico
Polo You would not be cruel to ine?

·96
MESSER MARCO I OLO
Cruel to you little Colden Bells! How
could I be cruel to you?
But the sin Marco Polo?
I dont know Golden Bells I dont
know

·XIX
AND ONE DUSK THE MOON ROSE OVER THE
Chinese garden and Marco Polo finished tell
ing her of what John saw on Patmos and he
an old man
Venı Domine Jesu
Gratia Domini nostri Jesu Christi cum
omnibus vobis Amen!
It is very difficult Marco Polo I dont
quite understand
I don t quite understand myself Golden
Bells But that is all I can tell you But you
will understand more
he said My mission
is finished now and I will go back I will stop
at the court of Prester John and he will send
a bishop surely or some great cardinal to bap
tize you and to teach you the rest
You will go bach? A great pain stabbed
her
I never thought somehow of you as
going back
I have come on a mission Golden Bells
and I must go back
There is a woman maybe in Venice,
And she turned her head away from him and
from the inoon
97

·98 MESSER MARCO TOTO I would not have you thinking (olden Bells There is none in Venice duty from me And if the queen of the no were there and she pledged to me 1. never look at her and I after hnoxing, Collen Bcllst Is it money Marco Polo she whispx in the dash It is maybe your uncle and father are pressing you to returi Lot you worry then for my father the Crear hlian settle »nh them too There is not a lor ill l artsry that your uncle cannot hac a woman either And your father canh the jewels of the treasury and all the su to cien the suord with such my father quereri China My fuher vill give him al I ask Only Ict you not be leaving thus 11 lil garden Dear (olden Bells 105nt that b! came here for (verts- Oh Marco Polo listen! There is a ft hastung fu and icy are an evil folk 24 coxarılly folk ui my father abliors sher shall ask my father to send captains of 30 figlung men to convert ile tye farth Vasco Polo or lop off their leads * we can send a len hundreds to the post Rome and he will never know how they

·MESSER MARCO POLO
99
converted and he will be satisfied Only let
Jou not be going away from me in my moon
lit garden You will only be turning to trade
Narco Polo and marrying a woman Let you
stay here in the moonlit garden!
Ah little Golden Bells there is no place
in the world like your moonlit garden There
is no place I d be liefer than in the moonlit
garden But little Golden Bells I set out in
Life to preach the Lord Jesus crucified It was
for that I came to China
Let you not be fooling yourself young
Marco Polo Let you not always be ascribing
'lo God the things that are mine You did not
come to preach to China you came to see me
ind your mind stirred up with the story the
plea captain told of me playing Willow
Branches by the Lahe of Cranes O Marco
Polo before you came there were the moon
and the sun and the stars and I was lonely
O Marco Polo she cried you wouldn t go
you couldn t go! What would you be doing
'in cold Venice far from the warm moonlit
garden
Sure ill be lonely too lutle Colden
Bells a white monk in a monastery praying
for you
But I dont want to be prayed for Marco

·100) VFSSLR VARCO IOLO Polo She stampu her foot 1 uut to be lover Ind there you like it out of me and a great shame to you thu Ou de ne say it sue that uns diesired of many und would have 110 man unil yon came Ind sucly it is the Harsh Cod you have made out of The hundly Person you spoke of ind is not llc vould hne my hent broken and you , your self into a crabbed monk Ind how do you know your preaching will comert iny? 159 low you comertel hue ll} m sorry car Marco Polo I shoukin liasc sad it but there is despair on ne and I afrud of losing you ristrue though I have nothing noboly 10 shot Souhrncmc mul on cric mot 1 Chrastrm Varco Polo lut 11 tell you sont thing I said to my father I wantil 10 mitt you and I asked lum if he would guc you province to goner and he Sure und welcom Sd I Ishullum for langclass the pleasanti strati in ill Chmi And he sent Sure ud ackom ( kleu Bells And I roll m we would be marriu an gollerc am goscen hus people kindly 1034 you soulant shume me before my own father and all the people of China You couldn i do that Vira

·MESSER MARCO POLO
101
Polo Marco Polo she came toward him
her eyes shimng - let you stay!
Christ protect me! Christ guide met Christ
before me!
Marco Polo!
Christ behind me!
The moon Marco Polo and me Colden
Bells and the nightingale in the apple treet
Christ on my right hand! Christ on my
left Christ below me!
Her arms were around his neck her cheek
came close to his
Marco Polo! Marco Polo!
Christ abovc mel
My Marco Polo!
O God! Golden Bells
Ind he put his arms around her and his
cheeks to hers and all the battle and the dis
appointment and the fear and the strangeness
lient out of hua And down by the like the
Wee frogs chirruped and in the apple tree the
nightingale never ccased from singing ind
they stayed there shoulder to shoulder and
cheek to check And the moon rose higher
And it seemed only a moinent they were there
until they ficard the voice of Lilo in the
garden
Are you the

·10 MESSER VARCO TOLD finest of women bine 7 pleasant thing like a long putt suuh or the first silmon of the ye31 ciught hile 1 trout or the ball through the goal bulore the whistle blousa And theres many a ucl filled belly over 1 hungry soul Bu a story is how desemny ss Interioven the fine and gallant and the tragic points of life And you musist look at them with the cyes of the body but you 333195t feel sth the antenna of your being Now if you were 10 Jook at the Lord Jesus with physical eyes ubat hould it bx burn hindly crary man and Ilc coming to a burd and bitter endt look at it simply and what was the story of Troy but 1 dirty ros over 1 10111? Bu often times the stories with the end ings cluzi grocers daughters do not be lshanty are the stories that are worth while And the worth wlule stories do be Basung Never clip 1 story halfways bet nuse the Widos Robin son doesnt like to 1771€ ler and disturbed 2003 she u Irming her breidth at the fire The (Vidon Robson may have ? wlutc com o buy a book with 12 thnk you re the graid zuthor entirely wd you pleasing for But i}>c Lord God who gave you the stories will know you for a louse I call to your mind die stories of the great

·MESSER MARCO POLO
105
English writer-the plays of the Prince of Den
mark and the poor blind king on the cliff
and the Scottish chieftain and his terrible
wife The Widow Robinson will not like
those stories and she will be keeping her
But those stories will endure
forever
I will now tell you of Marco Polo and
him leaving China
white coin

·You VUST SFF SU NOW AS HIT WAS SEVI NTIEN
seurs after he trad come to Chma and four
teen years after hus nife Intle Golden Beits
had died a lcan figure of a man with his halt
strcahod with gray : lean hard face on 11
and savage cses and all the body of lum sice!
and whalebont from riding on the Grell
Mus business and rking fast and furious
so (l134 le sigle sleep 3111 forget buc (orgel
ting never tune to 115 You might
thwt he was a harsh min from his fuent
yes but le 178 tlie struale snu in adminis
ering juistute ind he had the soft licart for
the primilac lucart of Golden Bells llc was
casiv mosu in iger but the imc Chinese
people never minded len keowing lie was
sulferng man I bought never a word of (ol
alun Bulls cinc froin fuis snovih boring may
be 11 lunt of I)intes the sacktest mes dic
world and th78 he used to repeat to hunsch
31 no one there
la l dla posma
CIe mi fut la che ms (1011 ) was
then froni me lacul ruko from !

·MESSER MIRCO IOLO 107 And sometimes a look would come over huis face as if he were listening for a voice to speak --listening listening and then a wee hırsh laugh would come from him very heartbreak ing to hear and whatever was in his hand papers or a riding whip he would pitch down and walk away He had just come in from the borders of the Arctic lands from giving the hhan s or ders to the squat hairy tribes who live by the icy shores and had come to the garden by the Lake of Cranes the garden where the Golden Bells of singing and laughter were dumb this armful of years and he was alone and the lis tening look was on his face when there came kubla and Li Po and the old magician Now hubla was very old so old he could hardly walk and very frail and Li Po was very old too and gray in the face and sadder in the eyes than ever and the magician s white beard had grown to his knees but there was no more humor in his eyes And Marco Tolo helped the old Khan 10 sit down Oh sir why did you come to me? Sure I Was going to you the moment I had changed my ruling clothes Sir you should have stayed in your bed There was something on my mind Marco ·MESSER MARCO I OLO and the old do bc thunking long to get ! off thcir mind What can I do sır? Marco my chill you mustn t tale I say ainiss But I want you to be going back to be going back to lenice Sır what have I done to dissatisfy you? I all my embassies lave I been ucah to th strong or bullying lound the wenh? Docs oppressed min complun of injustice does merchant complain of being cheated or woman say she was wronged? Nos Marco of my heart dine I szy 110 (o be taking it uniss Is there any onc cl to me nor you or is it likely I < be listen 10 storics brought against you? Its just this I m an old and tired man Varco Beag and in a scck or 1 moon 10 most I m duc to dic so the sanang tells me Dont be sorry son 1c glad for me life has been a wc bit too long son dear I want to tell you You ic been closer to mic than my own sons and you se buen the derr Ind And theres not OnC t in all Chia can say you did a l1115 or an unjust thing but tny dear son tis just the way of people there sa power of liud feel ing against you in thus land you buing 1 stranger and having stood so lugh Ind non ·MESSER VARCO IOLO 10g Ah sir So when I m dead dear son there s many would do you an injury and treat you badly aje in our famıly itself through they smile on you now Let you be going nox Marco Ill miss you to close my eyes for me but my heart will be lighter It will so I couldn t sleep easy and you ill treated in this land of inine You ask him too Li l'o Marco laughed and Li Po what is ill treatment to me? Sorton s my blood brother What Ive suffered! Do you think I could suffer morer I know Marco I know Dont you think I suffer nou teen years she s dead now the wee one who lay by my side in sleep And never a word and never a sign In the house there ne vere mar ried I can see the pool and the willons and the hibiscus but there is never a token of her he broke out 1 he leaves of trees coser the pavilion the hair of the musicians is sıl Yer and dust is on the blue and white tiles And she never comes to comfoit me I can sleep with waiting The stars never seem to wane and the hoar frost comes on the grass and I m always waiting Christ! why should 1 go back? I ve ſorgotten Venice Ive even forgotten iny God for her! sir Four

·VESSER MARCO POLO
orgs from Golden Bells will you leave
China?
If there is a sign from her I ll leave China
sard Marco Polo
And it was dusk in the Garden by the Lake
of Crancs

·XVII
THE SANANG CAVE OVER TO Marco Polo
Give me the black tress that s over your
heart
Ind Marco Polo undid his coat and huis un
dercoat and his fine sark and took out the per
fumed hair and gave it to the Sanang
Let you sing a little song Li Po the mi
gician said
the way she ll be hearing and
come I have part of her here and let you put
in the garden the atmosphere she loved And
Li Po took Inus lute and plucked gently at the
strings
The swish of your silken skirt is dis ntinued
he sang
stone
And the grass gros s through the broken hearth
Ind your room that was so y arm and s ept is
cold and mouldy
But he the belo ed of your heart clings on
A fallen Ical n the dink of a door
In the chunk of a closed door!
And it was dush in the garden and the
voice of Li Po broke and his lute sulled and

·MESSER MARCO IOLO
he old Emperor breathed lus nged gentle
breathing and the Sanang sud his secret ter
uble forinult and Marco Polo was teuse as
nhunung dog
And suddenly at the end of the garden in
the perfumed Isıın dusk there was a beun
lihe moonlight and into the soft ray of it 110d
little Colden Bells with hier toc tin mn face
ind her wice warm lands and her hair dar, as
1 cloud and her cycs pleiding pleading
Gonow Marco Polo please go! Her lips
inade the words but no sound came to him
On Colden Beils Golden Bells
rusled forward but the moonlight of no
moon faded and there was nothung and he
dropperi on fuis knees sobbing in the dush by
the Lake of Crancs
hc

·\VIII
AND AFTER A WIIILE HE GOT UP FROM THIS
Inces and set his teeth on his sobbing and
threw huis head back and squared his shoulders
and notched his belt and faced the three an
cient men
Well he said that s that
He went over and knelt ind kissed the
Khans hand
You ll be seeing her soon sır you ll be
telling her everything
les son I ll tell her
Then he patted the Sanang on the shoulder
and Thanks! said he simply and he took
Li Po s hand in both lus and they looked at
each other for a moment and no words came
to either
Well
he says it length Ill be hitting
the road then I'll not say good by to any of
you I ll be seeing you all pretty soon again
Theres a war on between Venice and the
Genocse and where that s hottest you ll find
me and the quicher my end the better I ll be
pleased But it would be like my luck he sand
bitterly not to be killed but to be taken pr

·MESSER MARCO POLO said old birth Aer and to end my life in some lousy jail oh well well hope for the best He laughed So-so long! And ilie four of them looked at one an other trying to smile and great grief on tlıc31) China will miss you my son hubla It s nothing to how I ll be missing Chuna said Marco Polo Venice! Its only a sound to me I ll be an exile in the city of my But what s the use of complaing? If it s go it s go But it ll be funny said hic My body will be there but my licart and mind will be in Chunn There Il be a gray cyc always turn ing to Chim and it will never sec Chma Quecr! All the voices and all the instru ments in Saint Varks and in my cars the little drums of China All the sunlight will be glinuing on the Grand Crnal but the httle rain of Chma-the little run of China will be falling in my heart Ah well if us go ifs go id better be hitting the road so I ll say good by for the present and Oh my God Almighty! TUIF I VD OH MESSIR VARCO IOLO ·A NOTE ABOUT PENGUIN BOOKS INC AND ITS PLANS FOR THE FUTURE We are often asked why PENGUIN Books are different from anything of the kind ever before undertaken for a popular audience by an American publisher The outstanding record of PENGUIN Books in England the real or ginators of the low cost paper bach series is one known to most people in the book and education world in fact to most intelligent readers Many Amer cans who served in the European Theater in this last war came to know and value the English Penguins PENGUIN Books INC. (the publishers of PENGUIN BOOns in the United States) is an independent Amer can publishing company but we do enjoy a close editor al assoc ation with Penguin Books Limited in England and work jo nt ly on special projects Our plan like that of our Brit sh associates is smple to publish the best books in e ery field within reach of every reader s pu se In doing so cenjoy the cooperation of American publ shers who make their litles available to us for reprint ng the co operation of ws ters and artists who moh - th us on original books where no su table book happens to be available for reprint and the cooperat on of the trade wh ch distr butes our books to the public Out insistence on the higl est stand ids h s met wth the Samne approval in the Un ted Stat s that has marked the areer of Pengu n Books a England When the war ended PENGUIN Books INC was reorganized n order to put into immeds te act on a number of plans of the sort wh ch dst ngush Penguin Books from run of the mli rep nts ·in s recent titles hare included A PASSAGE 1 M Forster THE LOVELY LADY by D HL INESBURG Ohio by Sherwood Anderson Orll Virginia Woolf PATTERNS OF CULTURE by Ru dict PUBLIC OPINION by Walter Lippmann Pa SAINT JOAN and MAJOR BARRARA by Bernard Si sued on Shaws ninetieth birthday July 20th) BOOK OF POLITICS AND VOTERS GUIDE by Mellett (an original Penguin Special widely d from coast to coast by Americans who take their seriously) PENGUIN BOOKS INC has under preparation an can Modern Paintcrs series under the editorship of H Barr Jr of the Museum of Modern Art New and a hing Penguin series parallel to the hing P volumes or ginated in Britain on the arts natur ence and on historical subjects In 1916 PEN BOONS INC launched in the United States a ser new translations of the classics with the publicati the world s olde t and greatest novel Hornets On translated by I V Rieu A list of available Penguin titles will be sent to upon request TO OUR READERS The publishers of PINGUIN Books çor dually invite you to submit your criticisms of this book and of any other volumnes that bear the PINGUIN name Suggestions for new books or reprints to be added to this series are also most welcome Please ad dress your letters to The Editor PLNGUIN BOONS INC 245 Lifth Avenue New York (NI ·Wal focha s ceplete with wisdom toote sind zu 11.am Rose Benet and made their rost hy's recent first no eii s struck the there fc 7 people Dostoyer à mi ht tuve en www ould have noun so much about le SOME RECENT PENGUINS ICEN by imes Bran b Cabell stess a tale of Poictesme of Jurgen who was a mon Jus clever fellow and yet willing, nevertheless to te of any drink once---of a middle aged paunbroker ito regains for a period his lost youth and courts a Iriety of the world s farest sonen-ſtom Helen to rs Satan herself Where demanded H L Men k is there anothes bool so beautifully contrived so nu nely a ma terpiece? It will I belicie, long outlast 23 day ORJILLA FLAT t) John Stenbeck Ane of the modern American classics, a la ter day Dor abu rate this delightful tale of the fasenss of Sou here thentic belly laughs crocally funny is no slight ach element The HART IS A LONI LY HUNTER'> Cellera Without any lust ne s with a hard y Coro mullers presents poor people of tomon und rtk en too lowers To have so prestad rette, said PR D ut quited ferently One wonders my ·bh is a strange mating of Rabelats and the of Timon of Athens Here is a unique po realism by the author of Tobacco Road THE SUMMING UP by 1 Somerset 110 The manifesto of an artist an autobiography of a an account of the education of a writer (of the dish and training that went into such eminently ro books as Of Hum 1 B dage and The loon an penice) ---It recalls in it sit urbanity and worldly w the great prose writers of the Lighteenth Century longs to the tradition of Rousseau Montaignc Nc and Henry Adams ORLANDO by Virgma l The tory of a Wild Goose class-through three turies--after the classical bird of poctry This fic biography that starts with its hero in Llizabethan and finishes up with a hero ne in 19 8 is also a b ingly crocatne picture of English history TH UNVANQUISHED by Hour The story of the first disastrous eight months of thic > fution provides one of the most convincing portrai Gcorge Wash ngton in fiction Carl Van Doren wil reading The Umanquished is the next best thu hasing been on the scenc at the time WIVESRURC OH by Sheru pod Ande This famous collection of short stories according Emest Boyd combines to make a picture of Amer life which carries the inescapable conviction of rea in their unpremeditated art they have a pouc- ·2:50 Egestion and revelation wlich we are accustomed to find in the great Russ ans f A PASSAGE TO INDIA by E M Forst Contemporary critics have called Forster the finest writer . now using the English ton, ue and this absorb ng novel has been ha led as his masterpiece in his recent study of Forster Lionel Trull ng says Great as the problem of India is Forster s book is not about India alone it is about all of human life THE LOVELY LADY by DH Lawren This volume of short stories includes the last fiction written by DH Lawrence one of the most widely discussed of modern authors The Rock ng Horse Win ner is an uncanny study of childhood Rudon s Roof gives the character of a mao afraid of women Motie und Daughter concerns the conflict between parent and child "The stories are n Lawrence s most mellow ven and several of them rank among his shorter masterp eces MANHATTAN TRANSFER b) Johı Dos Pas o This novel presents a cross set on of New York up to nd including the hp fal era It is a literal si e of sfe knifin, through the fac des of hyscraper and brown one house to reveal the New Yorker n all his permut uns CREAD AND WINE by Igalo Slo lone s great no el of the Italian underground just be Dre the Ethiop an war As Edmund Wilson says in the 1 w Yorker t has someth ng in common with the "nor ma novels / Le Desud Souls and Huckleber ya

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