"Of Fears and Sorrows that Infest the Soul:" FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:44

"Of Fears and Sorrows that Infest the Soul:" FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:44

Stanza 44 of the first edition of Edward FitzGerald’s translation of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám turns to an allegorical interpretation of Mahmud of Ghazni (971-1030 CE) that uses him, Sufi style, as a symbol for wine in fortifying the righteous will and confronting “fears and sorrows,” who are symbolized by the Hindu armies that confronted him in North India. XLIV. The mighty Mahmud, the victorious Lord, That all the misbelieving and black Ho…