When pondering the enslavement of Joseph and his rise to power in Egypt, I find my myself sympathetic to Potiphar--his being deceived by his wife and his unwitting punishment of Joseph.
In what follows, I imagine Potiphar's wife coming to grips with her connivances as she attempts to mollify her husband concerning Joseph's ascendance and seeks a healed relationship with Potiphar.
Have ears to hear, O Potiphar,
Joseph, thought fox, has left the lair.
Whereas by him you multiplied,
Now Egypt, through him, won't be denied.
Your rage has calmed, you know my fault:
True were his words, mine own would choke.
That garment kept was meant to rob,
But an Angel* restored him--yes, Jacob's God.
I beg you now, let go your pain!
Let gladness replace, accept the grain!
______________
* I changed “I Am” to “Angel” because the former was not known until later, when God spoke to Moses from the Burning Bush. Also, see this Commentary about the “Angel of God”
In what follows, I imagine Potiphar's wife coming to grips with her connivances as she attempts to mollify her husband concerning Joseph's ascendance and seeks a healed relationship with Potiphar.
Have ears to hear, O Potiphar,
Joseph, thought fox, has left the lair.
Whereas by him you multiplied,
Now Egypt, through him, won't be denied.
Your rage has calmed, you know my fault:
True were his words, mine own would choke.
That garment kept was meant to rob,
But an Angel* restored him--yes, Jacob's God.
I beg you now, let go your pain!
Let gladness replace, accept the grain!
______________
* I changed “I Am” to “Angel” because the former was not known until later, when God spoke to Moses from the Burning Bush. Also, see this Commentary about the “Angel of God”
