Book excerpt: Omar Khayyam (11th-12th centuries CE), a celebrated polymath, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher is best known as a Persian poet and author of the RubÄ â ~iyÄ t, but his validity as a poet is highly debated. To address this, this book focuses on 100 quatrains that have been authenticated by three known Persian authorities. To bring out Khayyamâ (TM)s voice, inner feelings and thoughts, this unique bilingual volume provides the Persian originals side-by-side with their literal translations in English. This serves to bring the reader closer to the originals, and allows them to make connections and draw conclusions according to their time and place in life.