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Messer Marco Polo

by Donn Byrne (1889–1928)

  • Free to read
  • 1 hour to read
  • 22 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"Messer Marco Polo" by Brian Oswald Donn-Byrne is a novel that likely emerged in the early 20th century, given its style and themes. The story revolves around the legendary traveler Marco Polo, capturing his early days in Venice, his aspirations, and his eventual adventures to the East. In the opening portions, it becomes evident that the narrative will blend historical events with fictional embellishments, focusing on Marco’s relationships and his conception of beauty and love, particularly towards a character named Golden Bells. The beginning of the novel introduces a reflective Marco Polo as he contemplates his life and yearning for adventure on the first night of spring. Amidst his duties in Venice, he is drawn to the vibrant life outside but is subtly reminded of his family's legacy and the significant figures of his past, such as his father and uncle. As he encounters a diverse tapestry of characters, including a sea captain and various foreign merchants, the narrative illustrates the cultural richness of Venice and sets the stage for Marco's subsequent journey to China. His infatuation with the idea of Golden Bells, a character he longs to meet, begins to take root, marking the interplay between his personal desires and his ambitions to explore the world.

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  • Polo, Marco, 1254-1323?
  • Biographical fiction

Read the opening

Chapter I

Now it's nearing night on the first day of spring, and you could see how loath day was to be going for even the short time until the rising of the sun again. And though there was a chill on the canals, yet there was great color to the sunset, the red of it on the water ebbing into orange, and then to purple, and losing itself in the olive pools near the mooring-ties. And a little wind came up from the Greek islands, and now surged and fluttered, the way you'd think a harper might be playing. You'd hear no sound, but the melody was there. It was the rhythm of spring, that the old people recognize.

But the young people would know it was spring, too, by token of the gaiety that was in the air. For nothing brings joy to the heart like the coming of spring. The folk who do be blind all the rest of the year, their eyes do open then, and a sunset takes them, and the wee virgin flowers coming up between the stones, or the twitter of a bird upon the bough... And young women do be preening themselves, and young men do be singing, even they that have the voices of rooks. There is something stirring in them that is stirring, in the ground, with the bursting of the seeds...

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Contents

  1. Front Matter
  2. Chapter I
  3. Chapter II
  4. Chapter III
  5. Chapter IV
  6. Chapter V
  7. Chapter VI
  8. Chapter VII
  9. Chapter VIII
  10. Chapter IX
  11. Chapter X
  12. Chapter XII
  13. Chapter XIII
  14. Chapter XIV
  15. Chapter XV
  16. Chapter XVII
  17. Chapter XVIII
  18. Chapter XIX
  19. Chapter XX
  20. Chapter XXI
  21. Chapter XXII
  22. Chapter XXIII

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About this edition

This free edition of Messer Marco Polo by Donn Byrne comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #2058, released 2000-02-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Historical Novels, Adventure, Novels.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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