By Henrik Eger
The Body of Abel Found by Adam and Eve by William Blake, 1826
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,
and man became a living soul. On the eighth day,
when God created Job, in the land of Uz, he said to him:
I made you perfect and upright, more handsome than most men,
I made you more intelligent than your brethren,
I gave you tons of prankish humor, so much so that you
will dress up as Superman and entertain the kids on Halloween
(and here, even God smiled with joy before He continued):
Son, I gave you more wit and charm than most Americans,
I gave you more energy than most folks, and children
that will become your joy. I made you bilingual,
and a speaker who dazzles professionals and amateurs alike.
I have even turned you into a classy aristocrat,
so beautiful that women and men of all ages will fall
in love with you wherever you appear, and you will flirt
shamelessly, making countless people happy wherever you go . . .
And Job blushed and said, trembling,
Señor, muchas, muchas gracias.
Cut it out, said the Lord, from within the whirlwind,
I have more for you.
Yes, Sir, said Job, and God continued:
Having given you more than you deserve,
I need to burden you with a few things, burning everything
you own, and destroying with fire and brimstone everyone you love.
And I'll give you a brother, Cain, who will invade Latin America
like a godless conquistador, an angry man who will do his dirty deed
down there and stab you wherever and whenever you cross his path.
I will also give you as a wife Xantippe's great-granddaughter, who,
although intelligent, like Socrates' wife, will forever complain,
and stab you in the back even more than your brother Cain.
And I will drown you in work with workers who know that you can’t
always supervise them as you cannot be everywhere, and you
won’t know what they are really doing behind your back,
like leaving the job, hours before the time for which you paid them,
or going for additional coffee breaks, instead of driving your trucks,
and then I will . . .
Sir, please stop, begged Job, overwhelmed and trembling,
my breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, behold,
what shall I answer thee? Have I not been punished enough?
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,
and man became a living soul. On the eighth day,
when God created Job, in the land of Uz, he said to him:
I made you perfect and upright, more handsome than most men,
I made you more intelligent than your brethren,
I gave you tons of prankish humor, so much so that you
will dress up as Superman and entertain the kids on Halloween
(and here, even God smiled with joy before He continued):
Son, I gave you more wit and charm than most Americans,
I gave you more energy than most folks, and children
that will become your joy. I made you bilingual,
and a speaker who dazzles professionals and amateurs alike.
I have even turned you into a classy aristocrat,
so beautiful that women and men of all ages will fall
in love with you wherever you appear, and you will flirt
shamelessly, making countless people happy wherever you go . . .
And Job blushed and said, trembling,
Señor, muchas, muchas gracias.
Cut it out, said the Lord, from within the whirlwind,
I have more for you.
Yes, Sir, said Job, and God continued:
Having given you more than you deserve,
I need to burden you with a few things, burning everything
you own, and destroying with fire and brimstone everyone you love.
And I'll give you a brother, Cain, who will invade Latin America
like a godless conquistador, an angry man who will do his dirty deed
down there and stab you wherever and whenever you cross his path.
I will also give you as a wife Xantippe's great-granddaughter, who,
although intelligent, like Socrates' wife, will forever complain,
and stab you in the back even more than your brother Cain.
And I will drown you in work with workers who know that you can’t
always supervise them as you cannot be everywhere, and you
won’t know what they are really doing behind your back,
like leaving the job, hours before the time for which you paid them,
or going for additional coffee breaks, instead of driving your trucks,
and then I will . . .
Sir, please stop, begged Job, overwhelmed and trembling,
my breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, behold,
what shall I answer thee? Have I not been punished enough?
 | Yes, you have, said the Lord. All these are my gifts, my burden for you. And Job, in the land of Uz, all alone, took a deep breath, and the old compass he had rescued from the flames, and slowly, but with determination, Job started charting out, a new life. Transcribed by Dr. Henrik Eger |
Addendum:
Job (Biblical figure) "is the central character of the Book of Job in the Bible. He is presented as a family man who lived a good and prosperous life, but is eventually beset with horrendous disasters that take away all he has, including his family, his health, and his property. Job struggles to understand his situation and begins a search for the answers to his difficulties. In the end, the LORD restores his former prosperity and health.”
Artwork by William Blake, 1757–1827, at the Tate Gallery, London.
Job (Biblical figure) "is the central character of the Book of Job in the Bible. He is presented as a family man who lived a good and prosperous life, but is eventually beset with horrendous disasters that take away all he has, including his family, his health, and his property. Job struggles to understand his situation and begins a search for the answers to his difficulties. In the end, the LORD restores his former prosperity and health.”
Artwork by William Blake, 1757–1827, at the Tate Gallery, London.
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