When Marco Polo first left Venice he was only a boy of fifteen. It was now the year 1295 and he was a man of thirty-nine. Over the years, there have been many different stories about his return to the city.
In one story, Niccolo, Maffeo, and Marco arrived at the family home in Venice. Servant opened the door but she did not ask the men to come in. They looked strange in their old Mongol clothes and it was difficult to understand them when spoke Italian again after all those years.
In the end, the travelers went into the house. But their families did not look interested or excited to see them again. Perhaps they did not think that these men were really Niccolo, Maffeo, and Marco. Of course, they were now much older and they did not look like successful merchants.
Later, the three men had a large meal with everybody in their family. At the end of the evening, they put on their old Mongol clothes again. Then they took out big knives and began to cut open their coats. Suddenly, hundreds of jewels fell to the floor. Some were presents from the Khan, and others were jewels from years of trade. Everybody understood at once – these men were Niccolo, Maffeo, and Marco, and they were now very rich!
We do not know much about the later years of Marco Polo’s life. But we know one important thing. In 1298, at the age of 44, he fought for Venice against the city of Genoa. The two cities were fighting about trade routes in the Mediterranean Sea. But soldiers from Genoa caught Marco and put him in prison.
Marco then sent a message to his father in Venice. He asked for some books to write notes in and these soon arrived. One of the other prisoners in Genoa was a man called Rustichello of Pisa. He was a writer and a teller of exciting stories.
During their long hours in prison, Marco told Rustichello about his journey to China and Rustichello noted it all down in French. But he did not only write down Marco’s words, he put in one or two of his own ideas too! So some people think that some pieces in the middle of Marco’s careful descriptions are by Rustichello.
When Marco returned to Venice, he took the notes with him and this became The Description of the World. People soon translated the book into Italian and it became famous. Priests, rich men and they and students all read it.
In 1300, Marco married a woman called Donata Badoer, the daughter of a rich merchant, and they had three girls-Fantina, Bellela, and Moreta. He also continued to work as a merchant in Venice, but he never travelled again.
After the Description of the World became famous, some people began to call Marco It Milione because they thought that his book had a million things in it that were not true. But Marco always said that everything in his stories was real.
Just before Marco Polo died in 1324 at the age of seventy, some of his friends spoke to him. They wanted him to tell them about his book before he died – was everything in there true? But Marco was very sure about his stories and he said to his friends: “I have only told the half of what I saw.”
When Marco Polo first left Venice he was only a boy of fifteen. It was now the year 1295 and he was a man of thirty-nine. Over the years, there have been many different stories about his return to the city. In one story, Niccolo, Maffeo, and Marco arrived at the family home in Venice. Servant opened the door but she did not ask the men to come in. They looked strange in their old Mongol clothes and it was difficult to understand them when spoke Italian again after all those years. In the end, the travelers went into the house. But their families did not look interested or excited to see them again. Perhaps they did not think that these men were really Niccolo, Maffeo, and Marco. Of course, they were now much older and they did not look like successful merchants. Later, the three men had a large meal with everybody in their family. At the end of the evening, they put on their old Mongol clothes again. Then they took out big knives and began to cut open their coats. Suddenly, hundreds of jewels fell to the floor. Some were presents from the Khan, and others were jewels from years of trade. Everybody understood at once – these men were Niccolo, Maffeo, and Marco, and they were now very rich! We do not know much about the later years of Marco Polo’s life. But we know one important thing. In 1298, at the age of 44, he fought for Venice against the city of Genoa. The two cities were fighting about trade routes in the Mediterranean Sea. But soldiers from Genoa caught Marco and put him in prison. Marco then sent a message to his father in Venice. He asked for some books to write notes in and these soon arrived. One of the other prisoners in Genoa was a man called Rustichello of Pisa. He was a writer and a teller of exciting stories. During their long hours in prison, Marco told Rustichello about his journey to China and Rustichello noted it all down in French. But he did not only write down Marco’s words, he put in one or two of his own ideas too! So some people think that some pieces in the middle of Marco’s careful descriptions are by Rustichello. When Marco returned to Venice, he took the notes with him and this became The Description of the World. People soon translated the book into Italian and it became famous. Priests, rich men and they and students all read it. In 1300, Marco married a woman called Donata Badoer, the daughter of a rich merchant, and they had three girls-Fantina, Bellela, and Moreta. He also continued to work as a merchant in Venice, but he never travelled again. After the Description of the World became famous, some people began to call Marco It Milione because they thought that his book had a million things in it that were not true. But Marco always said that everything in his stories was real. Just before Marco Polo died in 1324 at the age of seventy, some of his friends spoke to him. They wanted him to tell them about his book before he died – was everything in there true? But Marco was very sure about his stories and he said to his friends: “I have only told the half of what I saw.”
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
