YONATH THE PROPHET

 Yonath was the first among prophets who uttered unto men.

 

These are the words of Yonath, the first among all prophets:

 

There be gods upon Pegana.

 

Upon a night I slept. And in my sleep Pegana came very near. And

Pegana was full of gods.

 

I saw the gods beside me as one might see wonted things.

 

Only I saw not MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI.

 

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 ferocious¹ 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 solace².

 

Seek not to know. Thy seeking will weary thee, and thou wilt³ 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.

1 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

2 solace   

n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和

参考例句：

• They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.他们日常生活很艰难，就在宗教中寻求安慰。
• His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace.演艺事业突然一落千丈，他便借酒浇愁。

3 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。