Pangur B·n
I and Pangur B·n, my cat,
ėTis a like task we are at;
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.
.Better far than praise of men
ėTis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill will,
He too plies his simple skill.
ėTis a merry thing to see
At our tasks how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.
Oftentimes a mouse will stray
In the hero Pangurķs way;
Oftentimes my keen thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.
ėGainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
ėGainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.
When a mouse darts from its den,
O how glad is Pangur then!
O what gladness do I prove
When I solve the doubts I love!
So in peace our tasks we ply,
Pangur B·n, my cat, and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine and he has his.
Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade;
I get wisdom day and night
Turning darkness into light.
Translated from Gaelic by Robin Flower
Published in Exploring the Book of Kells (pgs. 8-10)
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