This color illustrated 8.25x10.75 hardcover edition contains the ornamented cr�me de la cr�me of my Omaresque style quatrains, as selected from the larger volume of ÔAustin's RubaiyatÕ. These are not translations, but my own inventions.
Prologue: Inspired by Omar, I have endeavored to capture his spirit for more modern times, although I have surely been influenced by Edward FitzGeraldÕs translated gems.
There is a companion prose version, ÔThe Triumph of Life, Love, and BeingÕ, in which a loving couple take a long, picaresque journey through the countryside to explore the joys and follies of the human condition, living out the quatrains.
The Discovery: Long before IÕd ever heard of Omar Khayyˆm, I had come to some of the same conclusions as had he, or so my friend told me one day, saying that I was already living out and proving OmarÕs philosophy.
Illuminations: A few of the quatrains were obtained from my other poetry books, which poems in their full text can be found in ÔPoetic EpicsÕ.