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Videoclip 11: Silk Princess Poem by Melanie
"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, a bit of background before I proceed. It was common on the Silk Road for princesses, that is to say Chinese princesses, to marry kings of distant lands. It was a means of the realms keeping up a common interest, shall we say.
For a long time, China was the only country in the world that knew the secret of silk production. But the king of Khotan said to his Chinese bride that she had to bring silk with her. And so the princess, well, she faced a dilemma to give up her favourite luxury, or to betray her country. And of course the princess did, what any girl would do in that position, she stole a few silk cocoons and veiled them in her headdress, and she took the silk to Khotan. After all, a girl has to have her luxuries, wouldn't you agree?
Shoes: pointy, dainty, curved, flat, and my personal favourite, embroidered. You can only imagine my disgust when half way down the road I realised that one is broken. She replaces my shoe and I stare at her. Correct! She is gawping suspiciously at my headdress. One look, she shies away: how it should be! It would not do for her to cry. I have a secret to hide.
I'm fickle, I know, but I couldn't go without it. You think me unfaithful, I see it in your eyes. My excuse? I did it to help diplomatic relations.
It's long, quite tedious, but we finally arrive, having survived the road. Waiting, a new land, man, Khotan. It all seems rather dull, and far less grand than the cosmopolitan city I left behind, and I feel lost.
My hand grasped at my headdress, tentatively, I unwrapped the material, its contents, desirable, inviting, teaming with possibilities. And I had the comforting familiarity in the knowledge that soon, soon, I'll enjoy the taste of delicious smooth silk. I look up at my husband, China's secret is out, and we smile."
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