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Yes, this is exactly what you think it is—the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam penned from the point of view of a kitten. It was written and illustrated by America’s foremost Kitten humourist of the time, Oliver Herford, whom you may (or may not) recognize from his other titles such as A Kitten’s Garden of Verses and More Animals.

Quatrain from Khayyam’s Rubaiyat:

And fear not lest Existence closing your
Account, and mine, should know the like no more;
The Eternal Saki from that Bowl has pour’d
Millions of Bubbles like us, and will pour.

Quatrain from Herford’s Rubaiyat:

And fear not lest Existence shut the Door
On You and Me, to open it no more.
The Cream of Life from out your Bowl shall pour
Nine times—ere it lie broken on the floor.

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