Messer Marco Polo

In Short

Donn Byrne’s 1921 novella reimagines the travels of Marco Polo through the lyrical cadences of an Irish oral tale. Narrative frame and high romance combine as an elderly storyteller from Ulster recount how young Marco sets out from Venice for Cathay, driven by a religious impulse to save the Khan’s daughter, Golden Bells, from pagan lostness. It remains a beloved minor classic because of its lush, rhythmic prose, its gentle humor, and its poignant contrast between solemn religious duty and the quiet, enduring beauty of mortal love.

The Story

The narrative opens in a long room in New York, where an old Irishman named Malachi of the Long Glen pauses his journey to Florida to entertain a circle of poets, golfers, and artists. He warns them that when he dies, they will have to write their own stories, and then proceeds to tell the tale of young Marco Polo.

In thirteenth-century Venice, young Marco wanders through the vibrant multi-ethnic canals and wine-shops, bored by local courtships and filled with restlessness. In the Prince of Bulgaria tavern, he meets a return sea-captain who describes the exotic ports of the East and speaks of Tao-Tuen, known as Golden Bells, the warm-hearted daughter of Kubla Khan. Marco becomes fixated on her image. When his father and uncle prepare another mercantile expedition to China, Marco resolves to accompany them. For Marco, a young man of total conviction, the thought of Golden Bells dying without knowing Christianity is an unbearable tragedy. He sets off not merely as a trader, but as a self-appointed missionary determined to bring her news of the Bitter Tree.

The journey takes years across hostile deserts, ruined ancient cities, and enchanted wastes. Near the end of the trek, in the Desert of the Singing Sands, a roaring sandstorm separates Marco from his companions, leaving him to lie down in the red darkness to die. Meanwhile, in Chandu, Golden Bells waits in her sunlit garden alongside the sad poet Li Po and the magician Sanang. Sensing the traveler’s peril, Sanang uses his magic to quiet the desert sandstorm, saving Marco’s life.

Upon reaching the court of Kubla Khan in Chandu, Marco presents his Christian faith to the assembled court. The great Khan listens politely but observes that such rules of righteousness are already contained in the teachings of Confucius and Buddha. Undeterred, Marco spends long days in the moonlit garden trying to instruct Golden Bells. Though she admits she cannot fully grasp events from long ago, she accepts his words simply because she loves him. Marco struggles against his desire, attempting to maintain his ascetic religious mission, but Golden Bells points out the absurdity of rejecting earthly beauty, and Marco surrenders to his love for her.

Their happiness is brief. Golden Bells dies after a few years, leaving Marco heartbroken and roaming the icy northern borders on the Khan’s business. Years later, as the frail, dying Kubla Khan, the aging Li Po, and the wizard Sanang gather in the quiet garden, they urge Marco to return home to Venice before the Khan's death leaves him vulnerable to political enemies. Through Sanang's magic, the ghost of Golden Bells appears one final time to urge him away. Marco bids farewell to the old men and prepares to return to Europe, knowing his heart will remain forever in China.

How It Unfolds

The gathering in Ulster fashion Old Malachi gathers listeners around a New York hearth and laments how modern life forgets old tales, before launching into the history of Venice and young Marco Polo.

The tavern of all nations Marco enters a dark Venetian wine-shop filled with mercenaries, merchants, and sailors, where a sea-captain describes the beauty of Golden Bells, the daughter of the Great Khan.

The missionary impulse Deeply moved by the thought of Golden Bells being lost in the afterlife, Marco convinces his father and uncle to let him join their trade caravan so he can bring her the Gospel.

The trek across the waste The caravan journeys past Mount Ararat, the ruins of Babel, and through exotic cities until a fierce sandstorm in the Desert of the Singing Sands nearly kills young Marco.

The garden at Chandu In Cathay, Golden Bells sits with the poet Li Po and the magician Sanang, who uses magic to stay the storm and preserve the life of the traveling Venetian.

Preaching to the court Marco preaches the story of the Crucifixion to Kubla Khan and his advisors, but the Khan calmly compares the doctrine to existing Chinese philosophy.

Surrender to love While attempting to teach Golden Bells, Marco tries to resist his romantic feelings, but her innocence and devotion convince him to abandon his monastic ambitions and embrace her love.

The final departure Years after Golden Bells’ death, the ancient Emperor and his court convince a grief-stricken Marco to depart for Venice before political turmoil strikes the realm.

The People

• Marco Polo is a passionate, earnest young Venetian who begins his journey as an unyielding religious idealist. He wants to save the soul of Golden Bells, but his rigid doctrines crumble when faced with her genuine warmth, transforming him into a devoted lover and, ultimately, a melancholic exile.
• Golden Bells (Tao-Tuen) is the daughter of Kubla Khan, who lives in a paradise garden surrounded by poets and magicians. She wants companionship and genuine affection rather than high-born suitors, and her straightforward love breaks through Marco's solemn theological defenses.
• Kubla Khan is the grand, aging ruler of Cathay. He wants stability for his empire and peace of mind in his final days; he treats Marco with paternal kindness, listening politely to his sermons while offering wise, tolerant counterpoints grounded in Eastern philosophy.
• Li Po is the Khan's court poet, a large, quiet man with sad eyes. He acts as Golden Bells' confidant, writing songs that capture the bittersweet shifts in her heart from melancholy to love.
• Old Malachi is the ninety-year-old Irish narrator traveling through America, whose rhythmic, traditional voice frames the entire story and gives it its oral quality.

In Its Own Voice

"To die out of Ulster, when one can die in Ulster, there is a gey foolish thing..."

The narrator reflects on the foolishness of an old countryman traveling so far from home when he ought to rest in his native soil.

"'Behold, the night is of great length,' I quoted, 'Unbearable. Tell us, therefore, of those wondrous deeds.'"

The author invokes the classic phrasing of traditional Celtic storytelling as the listeners settle around the fire to hear a long tale.

"There was all kind of drink there in the brass-bound barrels--drink would make you mad and drink would make you merry..."

The text describes the bustling tavern in Venice where Marco Polo hears the first rumors of China from foreign sailors.

What It's Really About

Beneath its romantic surface, the book explores the tension between dogmatic religious zeal and the immediate reality of human emotion. Young Marco sets out with a rigid, absolute theology that views worldly beauty as a distraction and non-Christians as lost souls. When he encounters the cultured, peaceful court of Kubla Khan, his absolute certainty is gently challenged by the Khan’s tolerant wisdom and Golden Bells’ natural goodness. The story argues that simple love, shared happiness, and human connection hold more genuine spiritual value than abstract dogmas. It also meditates on memory, longing, and exile, showing how true love leaves a permanent mark that outlasts youth, geographic distance, and death itself.

Why Read It Today

Messer Marco Polo appeals to readers who appreciate stylized, atmospheric storytelling and romantic fables. Its primary charm lies in Donn Byrne's voice—an extraordinary fusion of Venetian historical romance and Irish cadence. It feels less like reading a modern novel and more like sitting near a fireplace listening to a master storyteller improvise a legend.

Readers should be prepared for its deliberate stylistic choices. The framing narrative relies heavily on early twentieth-century Irish dialect, filled with idioms like "glen," "avourneen," and "ken." Modern readers may also notice period exoticism in its depictions of the East and medieval religious attitudes. However, the book is quite brief, and its language moves with a musical, poetic rhythm that quickens the pace.

It is best suited for those who enjoy poetic prose, historic fantasy, and tender love stories. What stays with the reader is not the historical detail of Marco Polo's trade routes, but the melancholy beauty of the garden in Chandu and the quiet, persistent sadness of a traveler whose heart remains forever in a land he had to leave behind.