Gesar

1
The white smoke of the juniper rises
Fragrant and dense from the burning coals,
Billowing into an empty shining sky,
A vast mirror-like expanse
Unclouded by the shadow of birth or fear of death.
There, descending on this perfumed bridge of smoke and longing,
Swirling and roaring in the smoke clouds, as in a gathering storm,
Surrounded by a host of mounted Drala and Werma warriors,
Whose golden armor and steel sword blades glitter like lightning,
Rides the great and ever-youthful conqueror
Gesar, King of Ling, Lord of the four kinds of warrior,
Destroyer of the four great demons who enslave men’s minds.
He rules over the high snow mountains and the rolling plains.
He conquers fear, doubt, corruption, and deceit in the hearts of men,
And is the great friend and protector of the life of all.
His reddish-brown face is implacable and his dark eyes fathomless.
His ferocious tiger smile is enticing.
His crystal helmet blazes like the sun.
His silver shield shines like the moon.
His chain-mail armor glitters like the stars.
He wears a tiger-skin quiver and his arrows are lightning itself.
His leopard-skin box case holds the black bow of the north wind.
His sharp crystal sword is the invincible wisdom of spontaneous liberation.
With his right hand, he raises a terrifying whip that slashes through all deceptions,
And with his left, he raises a victorious banner the color of the dawn,
With saddle and bridle of pure white jade, he rides the miracle horse,
Kyang Go Karkar, who is the power of confidence, the wind of winds.
Gesar and his host of warriors gallop down the bridge of billowing smoke
Like a thunderstorm sweeping across a desert plain.
The thunder and roar of their charge overwhelm the fearful,
And their violent cries of KI and SO paralyze all cowardice,
Gesar comes like a wheel of iron rolling across the sky,
And the earth becomes still.
2
Our earth is wounded.
Her oceans and lakes are sick;
Her rivers are like running sores;
The air is filled with subtle poisons.
And the oily smoke of countless hellish fires blackens the sun.
Day has become night.
Fish are born deformed; birds fall lifeless from the sky.
Forests and plains wither.
Animals running in futile search for shelter and food
Collapse and die.
Men and women, scattered from homeland, family, friends,
Wander desolate and uncertain, scorched by a toxic sun,
Prey to empty longings, strange diseases and sudden death.
Nor is night a cooling time of moonlit rest,
But a fearful flame-lit void
Of sirens, cries and murderous phantoms.
In this desert of frightened, blind uncertainty,
Some take refuge in the pursuit of power, of knowledge and technique;
Some become manipulators of illusion and deceit;
Some take refuge in realms of self-satisfied passion;
And some build up a golden wall of simple wealth.
Men have become robots and zombies
As they have made these hopes and fears
Their ruthless demonic lords.
If goodness and bravery still dwell in this world
As other than a flickering shadow on the edge of sleep,
If wisdom and harmony still dwell in this world
As other than a dream lost in an unopened book,
They are hidden in our heartbeat.
And it is from our hearts that we cry out.
We cry out and our voices are the single voice of this wounded earth.
Our cries are a great wind across the earth.
The juniper smoke rises on this wind,
And on this bridge of longing, as we sing of him,
Gesar himself, the ever-youthful Lion King, descends
Surrounded by flags and pennants snapping in the wind
To forge the weapons that cut the life force of fear and doubt,
To subdue and destroy the demonic hordes,
And to establish the kingdom of freedom, confidence and joy
That dwells eternally in the hearts of all.