Written by an anonymous Irish monk, this poem appears
on back of a page he was transcribing.
This translation is by Robin Flowers.
The manuscript was found in the monastery of St. Paul in Carinthia,
dated in the ninth century.
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.
'Tis a merry thing to see
At our tasks how glad are we:
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.
'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.
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.
