Pangur Bán, Pangur Bán...

Hi, all! Hope everyone is having a lovely start to the new year. Recently, a good friend of mine said she was reading my blog via mobile, and did not realize there's a poem posted on the righthand side of my blog until she viewed the blog via her computer. She suggested I share it with all of you as well.

Pangur Bán comes from a poem entitled The Scholar and His Cat. Written by an Irish monk in the 9th century, it captures the relationship between him and his white cat (Bán translating to "White" in Gaelic). Although they are "hunting" for separate things, their love of the hunt shines through every verse. As a fellow lover of words and cats, I decided to name this blog after the curious animal himself. 

Now, for those interested, here is the poem:

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.

P.S. The image above is taken from a wonderful animated film called The Secret of Kells (2009), which tells of a young boy and his adventures involving Pangur Bán, and the making of the Book of Kells. I highly recommend it. :)

Poem: https://www.ling.upenn.edu/~beatrice/pangur-ban.html