Is there a God who metes out justice,
Asked a bitter and despairing Job of Uz,
Does he weigh on balance with an even hand,
Good and evil, deed and reward?
Why pain and sorrow to the upright,
And gain and fortune to the wicked?
Can a mortal claim to be righteous,
Can he discern what is just?
Has the righteous ever been destroyed,
Has the innocent ever perished?
Where does wisdom come from,
Where does understanding dwell?
Let us strive together and learn what is right,
And seek after wisdom, argued his friends.
Who is this who condemns my design,
Asked God, from out of the whirlwind.
Be a man, gird up your loins,
And answer my questions.
Who fastened the earth’s foundations,
And decreed the power of the wind?
Who measured out the waters?
Who has seen the abode of light,
Walked the chambers of the deep,
Crossed the doors of the deepest darkness?
Can you order the seasons and their fullness,
Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
Loosen the cords of Orion,
Lead out the Bear with its cubs?
Mine ears have heard you,
And mine eyes have opened, said Job,
I spoke of things I do not comprehend,
Pronounced on mysteries I cannot fathom.
Not your job to answer my questions,
Your purpose is to lead to the right questions.
And so discovered Job of Uz,
As did all those intrepid seekers
At Yajnavalkya’s feet,
At Janaka’s court,
At Naimisharanya.
Svetaketu and Nachiketa,
Gargi and Maitreyi,
Saunaka the householder:
The answer to all great questions
Are more questions or the great silence.
***
Madras Courier originally ran as a broadsheet with a poetry section. It was a time when readers felt comfortable sharing glimpses of their lives through verse. If you have a poem you’d like to submit, do email us at [email protected].
-30-
Copyright©Madras Courier, All Rights Reserved. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from madrascourier.com and redistribute by email, post to the web, mobile phone or social media.Please send in your feed back and comments to [email protected]
