The Rubaiyat: Quatrain XLIV

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.

This is the forty-fourth quatrain of the FitzGerald's Rubaiyat and among the more obtuse ones in my opinion. It talks of the mighty warlord Mahmud who with his enchanted sword scatters away and defeats the non believers and the black horde that dwell in the heart of men as fear and sorrow. As to what FitzGerald meant with these lines is anybody's guess. I mean with the benefit of hindsight we know Mahmud though mighty was any thing but enlightened. His countless raids of plunder and mayhem of Indian subcontinent is well known and if FitzGerald is conveying that Mahmud is the slayer of a non physical enemy like the sorrow and fear of the soul and having spiritual powers to rid people of the soul's misery, then it leaves me perplexed and confused about what he means with this quatrain. Perhaps written from the victors viewpoint, Mahmud has vanquished the infidels and the misery that afflicts the soul of these vanquished men with his magical sword. As with any lines of Rubaiyat, I can over-interpret.. but I will leave it at that!