Ruba'iyat of Hakim 'Umar Khayyam

It is often said quite appropriately that Khayyām was the poet of fate. It would be a mistake however to call him a fatalist at least according to our common understanding of this word. Scholars seeking to categorize his Rubāʿīyāt can themselves be grouped into two major schools of thought. The first claims that he was highly influenced by Islamic mysticism particularly Sufism and that his references to wine and lovers are allegorical representations of mystical wine and divine love. A second school of thought rejects this view claiming that Khayyām's references to wine and lovers are very literal and sensual.