Jon Huer writes

THE SEDUCTION OF JOB:  Twenty Years Later   

A Dramatic Poem

CHAPTER FOUR

Angel Bashana, now in human form, joins Job's household as maid.

 

JOB TO SELF: 

Thanks be to God for my fortune's prosperity:  

My household needs more maids and servants 

To accommodate its thriving humanity and activity,  

And my ledger bulges with each passing month. 

To be so blessed with wealth and fortune like no other  

Is to stand judged above all other mortals, 

And to be ordained with a decree only God grants.  

What is my destiny that I am called to account? 

Be righteous, be pious, and follow the Commandments,  

Be a stern example of purity to my fellowmen, 

And be a man absolutely beyond reproach.  

God has made me what I am, not another; 

He has granted me His special favor, not another;  

The Almighty protects me from harm, not another.  

Blessed be the name of the Lord.  

JOB TO BASHANA: 

Bashana, you must be the new maid just hired. 

Fetching and fair, why are you still unmarried?  

BASHANA: 

To serve under you, Master Job, and none other, 

Is worthier than to have a king as my husband. 

Clever men and brave heroes from our land, 

Learned scholars and wealthy merchants from abroad, 

They have all come and courted your humble maid; 

But I have chosen the chance to serve you.  

JOB: 

Flattered I am and extraordinary you are, Bashana, 

Explain yourself further so that I may understand.  

BASHANA: 

Master Job, who stands taller than you in Uz, 

Whose wisdom is thought deeper than that of all sages, 

Whose righteousness rises higher than that of all saints, 

Whose piety rings truer than that of all priests, 

Whose wealth increases faster than the flying arrow, 

And whose charity is more open to all afflicted?  

JOB: 

There are saints whose holiness dwarfs me, Bashana, 

And prophets wiser than a mere man like me. 

Your praise should be rendered all to God, 

For who else lifts this unworthy man up so high, 

Who else gives him his wisdom, piety, and charity, 

And who else graces him with wealth and fortune?  

BASHANA: 

Men there are many as there are stars above; 

Do they all shine by the same measure? 

Do angels smile on all men without favors? 

Do all men stand equally in God's reckoning? 

Your virtues are exceeded only by your humility, 

And your great deeds only by your denial. 

This humble maid has no higher desire in her heart 

Than to absorb your wisdom and imitate your piety, 

To walk in your shadow in admiration and awe. 

For how many women of my station can be so near 

The walking greatness of our land, who spoke to God? 

O Master Job, shine your light on me and teach me 

All your knowledge and righteousness and courage.  

JOB: 

Your praise makes me blush with pleasure, 

Although the merit is entirely God's, not mine. 

However, let us set a regular time and place 

So that my meager spirit may instruct you. 

Do not overburden yourself with housework; 

There are other maids and servants for the chores. 

Your soul is too searching to be rendered mundane, 

Your mind too eager to be shut up in daily darkness.  

BASHANA: 

O Master Job, praise be to the Almighty 

Who has discerned a diamond from clay, 

A man of exception from mere men who abound. 

Why should I settle for a clever man or a hero, 

A learned man or a wealthy merchant, 

When I can absorb and imitate the great one, 

With God's spirit and the angels' strength? 

In all of Uz, who is more blessed than I am,           

Who is more fulfilled than humble Bashana?  

JOB TO SELF: 

To share my wisdom with another heart 

And to impart my piety to another soul 

Is to merge my mind with another as one. 

So powerful, so mysterious, so foreboding 

Is the shadow cast by this maid Bashana 

That I am stirred by her strong presence, 

And in my strange awakening, known and new, 

Do I see trouble ahead, O Lord!

 

Job and His Family [detail] -- William Blake