“Passage at Knowth” by Denise Labadie
Self-eulogy by a minor king in present day Ireland, prior to arrival of the first Celtic tribes. Circa 5,000 BC. By John Grassby I am the all-knowing, all-powerful King Knowth, the mightiest of the mighty. None dared challenge me or my realm during all the days of my celebrated rule. Based on the wisest, most complete code of human conduct ever conceived, the legacy of my reign shall endure as a shining example of what can be accomplished when mind aligns with leadership of the Gods with whom I, alone among all kings, spoke daily. This is the final day of my glorious life and the day of my interment in my burial mound here in Boynth Valley, in a land close to the retreating Great Ice, to which the world’s most robust, most resourceful, most resilient people have always been drawn and have lived and thrived. The world will sadly witness my passing, but will also rejoice in the passing on of my legacy to the world. Eventually, inevitably, my legacy will be deemed no longer relevant, no longer in harmony with the prevailing beliefs and practices of the day, unable to keep pace with the actions and passions of the times. It will be said that history has overtaken the wisdom of the past, making it no longer wise, an anachronism of minimal value. But my legacy is not so vain as to speak of all things for all men for all times. Instead, it is limited to how best to rule, given man’s seemingly ever predictable vagaries and caprices: Concerning conflicts within the realm for which the king is the ultimate arbiter, know that man is seldom angry for the reasons given, or even at the one against whom his ire appears to be directed. Unearth the angry party’s real reasons—his own fears, errors, stupidity, among 5
