The First Second-Coming

The First Second-Coming

“All praise to Buddha !
God-son of Maya,
Born unto a Virgin,
On the twenty-fifth December.
Heralding his coming
Was a brightly shining star,
Gifts betrothed by Wise Men,
Songs by Angel-Choir.

Teaching in the Temple,
Twelve and on his todd,
Then baptised in the presence
Of the Spirit of the God.
Tempted hard by Mara,
Tempted while he fasted.
Feeder of five-hundred
From a small cake-basket.”

Or so I’ve heard it said by a suspicious few
Who desperately, desperately, want it to be true.
Are deities amalgams, at least in the telling ?
I can well believe it, but not the kind they’re selling.
But then, what do I really know about such secret lore ?
Perhaps you ought to tell me more…

“Healer of the sickened,
Walker on the water,
Renouncer of the World,
And poverty supporter.
A Kingdom of Righteousness
He built and oversaw –
Then came he down unto us
To fulfil the written Law.

Died upon a cross,
The rumour-mill endorses.
Sealed up in a tomb
Which rent by magic forces.
Rose up from the dead,
Ascended to Nirvana;
Promised to return
For Judgement on our karma.”

Or so I’ve heard it said by the endless games
Who never cite their sources and never check their claims.
Are deities amalgams, or cliches, or hopes ?,
With ev’ryone drawing on the same common tropes ?
I guess that the gods are our latent thoughts aloud
And the prayers go to the ones who please the crowd.

I read all the facts for this poem on a website a long time ago, and have never got round to verifying them, so this version of Buddha might be total bollocks – but then, all versions of Buddha are total bollocks.

Edit – I’ve decided not to check (well, more like finally admitted that I couldn’t be bothered to check) into what I strongly suspect is complete BS – so instead I’ve added the third and sixth verses.