Vishnu's Third Stride

Tall as a mountain, tow’ring in silence, a shrouded giant, white its peak
Swift as a falcon, circling the blue sky, golden wings and deadly beak
Fair as a blossom, growing on grey stone, a sign of hope for all the brave
Wide as the oceans, meeting the shoreline, we are both ocean and the wave
Strong as a wild boar, roaming the forest, wreaking havoc in its wake
Clear as a fountain, pouring its waters into the deepest mountain lake
Vain is the swordsman, wielding his weapon in search of fame, the crows they
craw
Mound of the Ancient, plundered by heathens who do not know eternal law
Inner- and outermost, deathless triumphant, it is the one the sages greet
Knower of secrets, enshrined in the heart’s cave, beyond the bitter and the
sweet
The throes of gods, the serpent’s curse
The maws of wolves, three beggars' hearse
Let Phoenix soar and sunward fly
May Phoenix live, and may he die