Khayyam and Robert Graves, Two Intimate Strangers

Since Khayyam's poems have been very controversial among Western readers, numerous Orientalists and researchers have reviewed and sometimes translated his poetry. Among them, Fitzgerald—right or wrong—has been reputed as the major figure in this domain. However, Fitzgerald introduced Khayyam as a nonchalant and drinker to the world and this is the reason why Robert Graves, the twentieth century poet, has vehemently criticized Fitzgerald and tried to compensate for this negligence by attributing a mystical perspective to Khayyam, which is not necessarily approved by Persian scholars. Regardless of the accuracy of Grave's interpretation and reading, the researcher intends to scrutinize Khayyam's influence on Robert Graves’ poetry and thought and discovers and analyzes Grave's motivation in translating Khayyam's Rubaiyat. Moreover, this essay pays attention to some critics’ views about these two great writers’ viewpoints, which are very similar and could be the reason why Graves has so sympathetically defended Khayyam and has considered him a typical Persian mystical poet. Criticizing some opinions of Robert Graves, Fitzgerald, and Iranian contemporary researchers’ about Khayyam’s Rubaiyat and thoughts is also another matter of concern in this article.