La illa Trapobana. Aquesta és apellade per los tartre Magno Caulii derrera de orient. En aquesta illa ha gens de gran diferència de les altres. En alguns munts de aquesta illa ha hòmens de gran forma, ço és de ·XII· coldes axí com gigants e mol negres e no usants de rahó,
abans menjen los hòmens blanchs e estranys si·ls poden aver. In aquesta illa ha cascun any ·II· estius e ·III· iverns e dues vegades l’ayn hi florexen les arbres e les herbes, e és la derera illa de les Índies, e habunda molt en or e en argen e en pedres preçioses.
(eng)
The island Trapobana (Taprobana). This island is called by the tartars Great Caulii, and is the last of the East. On this island people are very diverse.
In some mountains there are men very full bodied, of twelve elbows high, like the Giants, they are very black and there can not be reasoned with.
They eat white men and foreigners, if they can capture them.
On this island there are two winters and three summers each year, and two in bloom the trees and herbs.
It is the last of the Indies and its covered (?) in gold, silver and precious stones.
comment
"Trapobana" is probably an incorrect spelling of "Taprobana."
The cities of Melara, malaria and Menlay match cities that Marco Polo distributed around the island pentane or Malayu Sumatra region.
In the maps attributed to Ptolemy Taprobana is a large island that includes part of India and Ceylon Continental. Here is located more to the east.
source: L’ATLES CATALÀ DE 1375 TREBALL DE FINAL DE CARRERA Àngel Arana Palomo Juny, 2002
Mar de les illes delles Índies hon són les espècies, en la qual mar navega gran navilli de diverses gens, e són açí atrobades ·III· natures de peix qui s’apellen sarenes, la una qui es miga fembra e miga peix e l’altre miga fembra e miga auçell.
(eng)
On the sea islands Indies is where the spices are. To navigate this sea many ships different nations. Here are three kinds of fish called sirens:
one is half fish and half woman, the other half woman and half bird.
comment
It may be a transmission of ancient legends about mermaids or just being a decorative motif. This fantastic beings are already at the St. Etymologiae Isidor XI in the book, which makes it a definition and characterization of man, with a full story about extraordinary beings.
