15 Mehr 1405
Quatrain 44 of 75
“The mighty Mahmud, the victorious Lord,
That all the misbelieving and black Horde
Of Fears and Sorrows that infest the Soul
Scatters and slays with his enchanted Sword.”
Reflection · Autumn 1405
In autumn the black Horde reconstitutes. The fears and sorrows that summer scattered come back in Mehr and Aban — the fear of winter, the sorrow of summer's end. The mighty Mahmud is needed in full. The enchanted Sword of autumn wine is different from the summer sword — this one is older, heavier, more complex in its edge. It scatters and slays with the authority of a vintage that has been waiting since spring.
Victorious Lord — Mahmud was always victorious in the stories. Khayyam makes him victorious in the interior campaign too, the one that matters more. The soul's fears and sorrows, scattered. Not resolved, not answered — scattered and slain.