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 toPangur Ban-Old Irish Text
3 Old Comments:
Aloysius,
If you are Pangur Ban, them I am a monk.
By 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 amanuensis, at 11:55 AM
And here's another one in Old Norse:
http://homepages.wmich.edu/~m3bowma1/tote.html
By amanuensis, at 1:17 PM