in a narrative poem, 20th century, god speaks to job, explaining his
intent on job's affliction...i would like the name of the author or
poem...

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 21 Mar 2005 19:25 PST

Robert Frost wrote a short play in verse, "A Masque of Reason," in
which God explains His actions to Job.

" The poet?s passion for theology is waggishly manifest in his closet
drama A Masque of Reason, or ?The 43rd Chapter of Job.?   Here, a
sheepish Jehovah, after extricating himself from the burning bush,
apologizes to Job for having afflicted him with unmerited torture to
show the world ?There?s no connection man can reason out / Between his
just deserts and what he gets.?  Pressed for the real reason for the
torture, Jehovah responds:  ?I was just showing off to the Devil.? "

http://www.liberator.net/articles/SloanGary/RobertFrost.html

Does this sound like the poem that you seek?

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 21 Mar 2005 19:36 PST

This may help. Here is an excerpt from "A Masque of Reason":

"Without that 40th happy-ending chapter we have the real Job - the
genius of its author or authors - raising the hard questions of human
existence: Is this an honest universe? Why do the good suffer and the
evil prosper? God speaks from out of the whirlwind and challenges
Job's complaints. 'Where were you when I laid the foundations of the
earth and the morning stars sang for joy?' It is that authentic story
line that poet Robert Frost picks up in A Masque of Reason. God and
Job look back upon their original encounter. God speaks to Job:

I've had you on my mind a thousand years
To thank you someday for the way you helped me
Establish once for all the principle
There's no connection man can reason out
Between his just desserts and what he gets.
Virtue may fail and wickedness succeed.
'Twas a great demonstration we put on.
... Too long I've owed you this apology
For the apparently unmeaning sorrow
You were afflicted with in those days.
But it was of the essence of the trial
You shouldn't understand it at the time.
It had to seem unmeaning to have meaning.
And it came out all right. I have no doubt
You realize by now the part you played
To stultify the Deuteronomist
And change the tenor of religious thought.
May thanks are to you for releasing me
From moral bondage to the human race.
The only free will there at first was man's
Who could do good and evil as he chose.
I had no choice but I must follow him
With forfeits and rewards he understood -
Unless I liked to suffer loss of worship.
I had to prosper good and punish evil.
You changed all that. You set me free to reign..."

http://www.rochesterunitarian.org/1998-99/990124.html

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Clarification of Question by babetosha-ga on 19 Apr 2005 11:34 PDT

sorry for the delay...you found it...

I'm delighted to have been able to help you identify your poem as
Robert Frost's "A Masque of Reason."

"Without that 40th happy-ending chapter we have the real Job - the
genius of its author or authors - raising the hard questions of human
existence: Is this an honest universe? Why do the good suffer and the
evil prosper? God speaks from out of the whirlwind and challenges
Job's complaints. 'Where were you when I laid the foundations of the
earth and the morning stars sang for joy?' It is that authentic story
line that poet Robert Frost picks up in A Masque of Reason. God and
Job look back upon their original encounter. God speaks to Job:

I've had you on my mind a thousand years
To thank you someday for the way you helped me
Establish once for all the principle
There's no connection man can reason out
Between his just desserts and what he gets.
Virtue may fail and wickedness succeed.
'Twas a great demonstration we put on.
... Too long I've owed you this apology
For the apparently unmeaning sorrow
You were afflicted with in those days.
But it was of the essence of the trial
You shouldn't understand it at the time.
It had to seem unmeaning to have meaning.
And it came out all right. I have no doubt
You realize by now the part you played
To stultify the Deuteronomist
And change the tenor of religious thought.
May thanks are to you for releasing me
From moral bondage to the human race.
The only free will there at first was man's
Who could do good and evil as he chose.
I had no choice but I must follow him
With forfeits and rewards he understood -
Unless I liked to suffer loss of worship.
I had to prosper good and punish evil.
You changed all that. You set me free to reign..."

First Unitarian Church of Rochester
http://www.rochesterunitarian.org/1998-99/990124.html

As far as I have been able to determine, "A Masque of Reason" is not
available online in its entirety. Used copies are available from
several sources:

AddAll Rare, Used, and Out of Print Book Search
http://used.addall.com/SuperRare/RefineRare.fcgi?id=050419115934312258 

Google search strategy:

Google Web Search: "masque of reason" "robert frost"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22masque+of+reason%22+%22robert+frost%22

I hope this is helpful. If anything is unclear or incomplete, please
request clarification; I'll gladly offer further assistance before you
rate my answer.

Best regards,
pinkfreud