Quatrain 44
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 · Winter
The enchanted Sword that scatters and slays the Fears and Sorrows infesting the soul — Khayyam is describing wine in the terms of epic warfare. The misbelieving and black Horde — all the internal voices that infest the soul in winter especially: the fear of what is coming, the sorrow for what has gone, the anxieties that the long dark nights provide optimal breeding conditions for.
In winter this verse is almost military in its usefulness. The soul under siege by its own horde needs exactly what Khayyam describes: not the rational engagement with each individual fear but the scattering, the slaying, the enchanted sword that simply clears the field. The mighty Mahmud is still victorious. The sword is still enchanted.