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Thursday, October 06, 2005

 

Pangur Ban

I and Pangur Ban my cat,
'Tis a like task we are at:
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.

Better far than praise of men
'Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill-will,
He too plies his simple skill.

'Tis a merry task 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 Pangur's way;
Oftentimes my keen thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.

'Gainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
'Gainst 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 task we ply,
Pangur Ban, 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.

-- Anon

To view this poem in Gaelic, go to
  • Pangur Ban-Old Irish Text

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    3 Old Comments:

    Aloysius,

    If you are Pangur Ban, them I am a monk.

    By Blogger amanuensis, at 11:37 AM  

    By the way, you can read a Dutch translation of Pangur Ban at

    http://www.cubra.nl/auteurs/laurantoorians/pangur.htm

    By Blogger amanuensis, at 11:55 AM  

    And here's another one in Old Norse:

    http://homepages.wmich.edu/~m3bowma1/tote.html

    By Blogger amanuensis, at 1:17 PM  

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