And in that hour, in the hour of my sleep, I knew.
And the end and the beginning of my knowing, and all of my knowing that there was, was this—that Man Knoweth Not.
Seek thou to find at night the utter edge of the darkness, or seek to find the birthplace of the rainbow where he leapeth upward from the hills, only seek not concerning the wherefore of the making of the gods.
The gods have set a brightness upon the farther side of the Things to Come that they may appear more felititous to men than the Things that Are.
To the gods the Things to Come are but as the Things that Are, and nothing altereth in Pegana.
The gods, although not merciful, are not ferocious gods. They are the destroyers of the Days that Were, but they set a glory about the Days to Be.
Man must endure the Days that Are, but the gods have left him his ignorance as a solace.
Seek not to know. Thy seeking will weary thee, and thou wilt return much worn, to rest at last about the place from whence thou settest out upon thy seeking.
Seek not to know. Even I, Yonath, the oldest prophet, burdened with the wisdom of great years, and worn with seeking, know only that man knoweth not.
Once I set out seeking to know all things. Now I know one thing only, and soon the Years will carry me away.
The path of my seeking, that leadeth to seeking again, must be trodden by very many more, when Yonath is no longer even Yonath.
Set not thy foot upon that path.
Seek not to know.
These be the Words of Yonath.
Yug the Prophet
When the Years had carries away Yonath, and Yonath was dead, there was no longer a prophet among men.
And still men sought to know.
Therefore they said unto Yug: “Be thou our prophet, and know all things, and tell us concerning the wherefore of It All.”
And Yug said: “I know all things.” And men were pleased.
And Yug said of the Beginning that it was in Yug’s own garden, and of the End that it was in the sight of Yug.
And men forgot Yug.
One day Yug saw Mung behind the hills making the sign of Mung. And
Yug was Yug no more.
Alhireth-Hotep the Prophet
When Yug was Yug no more men said unto Alhireth-Hotep: “Be thou our prophet, and be as wise as Yug.”
And Alhireth-Hotep said: “I am as wise as Yug.” And men were very glad.
And Alhireth-Hotep said of Life and Death: “These be the affairs of Alhireth-Hotep.” And men brought gifts to him.
One day Alhireth-Hotep wrote in a book: “Alhireth-Hotep knoweth
All Things, for he hath spoken with Mung.”
And Mung stepped from behind him, making the sign of Mung, saying: “Knowest thou All Things, then, Alhireth-Hotep?” And Alhireth-Hotep became among the Things that Were.
Kabok the Prophet
When Alhireth-Hotep was among the Things that Were, and still men sought to know, they said unto Kabok: “Be thou as wise as was Alhireth-Hotep.”
And Kabok grew wise in his own sight and in the sight of men.
And Kabok said: “Mung maketh his signs against men or withholdeth it by the advice of Kabok.”
And he said unto one: “Thou hast sinned against Kabok, therefore will Mung make the sign of Mung against thee.” And to another: “Thou has brought Kabok gifts, therefore shall Mung forbear to make against thee the sign of Mung.”
One night as Kabok fattened upon the gifts that men had brought him he heard the tread of Mung treading in the garden of Kabok about his house at night.
And because the night was very still it seemed most evil to Kabok that Mung should be treading in his garden, without the advice of Kabok, about his house at night.
And Kabok, who knew All Things, grew afraid, for the treading was very loud and the night still, and he knew not what lay behind the back of Mung, which none had ever seen.
But when the morning grew to brightness, and there was light upon the Worlds, and Mung trod no longer in the garden, Kabok forgot his fears, and said: “Perhaps it was but a herd of cattle that stampeded in the garden of Kabok.”
And Kabok went about his business, which was that of knowing All
Things, and telling All Things unto men, and making light of Mung.
But that night Mung trod again in the garden of Kabok, about his house at night, and stood before the window of the house like a shadow standing erect, so that Kabok knew indeed that it was Mung.
And a great fear fell upon the throat of Kabok, so that his speech was hoarse; and he cried out: “Thou art Mung!”
And Mung slightly inclined his head, and went on to tread in the garden of Kabok, about his house at night.
And Kabok lay and listened with horror at his heart.
But when the second morning grew to brightness, and there was light upon the Worlds, Mung went from treading in the garden of Kabok; and for a little while Kabok hoped, but looked with great dread for the coming of the third night.
And when the third night was come, and the bat had gone to his home, and the wind had sank, the night was very still.
And Kabok lay and listened, to whom the wings of the night flew very slow.
But, ere night met the morning upon the highway between Pegana and the Worlds, there came the tread of Mung in the garden of Kabok towards Kabok’s door.
And Kabok fled out of his house as flees a hunted beast and flung himself before Mung.
And Mung made the sign of Mung, pointing towards THE END.
And the fears of Kabok had rest from troubling Kabok any more, for they and he were among accomplished things.
Of the Calamity That Befel Yun-ilara by the Sea, and of the Building of the Tower of the Ending of Days
When Kabok and his fears had rest the people sought a prophet who should have no fear of Mung, whose hand was against the prophets.
And at last they found Yun-Ilara, who tended sheep and
