Pangur Ban

We went to Ireland on first free travel. It was AMAZING! We spent a lot of time travelling around and saw Belfast and Galway and Malahide, but we spent most of our time in Dublin. I completely fell in love with the city. I love Florence, but after just a week, I almost love Dublin just as much, even with the rain. Anyway, one of the cool things that we saw in Dublin was the Book of Kells. It's like this elaborately decorated copy of the 4 Gospels that was one of the first copies of Scripture in Ireland. It was really interesting going through the exhibit and and seeing all of the history about Christianity in Ireland. There were monks in monasteries in and around Ireland who were scribes and would copy down the scriptures, not unlike what was happpening all over the world, where Christianity was coming to areas of the world that were engulfed in pagainism. Anyway, I came across this poem in the book of Kells exhibit. It was written by a 9th century Irish monk who lived in a monastery and worked as a scribe. Apparently Pangur was the cat's name and Ban means it was a white cat. I never liked cats until I got here, now they're growing on me I think. But I think you'll love this poem even if you're not a fan of cats.



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 thing to see
At our task how glad are we.
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.

Oftentimes a mouse will stray
Into 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;
'Gasinst 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 I do prove
When I solve the doubts I love!

So in peace our tasks 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.