Midnight Poetry: “Pangur Ban”
Pangur Ban
(written by a ninth-century Irish monk in St Gallen, Switzerland)
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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
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.
Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade;
I get wisdom day and night
Turning darkness into light
(This poem appears in The Book of Kells exhibit at Trinity College, Dublin and was kindly transcribed for AuthorScoop by Felicity O’ Mahony, Assistant Librarian, Manuscripts Department)
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AuthorScoop
September 6th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I assume the original is in Latin? Gotta link for it?
September 6th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Nope. I saw it on the wall at the exhibit as is, but wasn’t allowed to photograph it. When I emailed Trinity College, they kindly had someone send a transcription to me.
December 31st, 2009 at 11:38 pm
I love this image of a monk waiting as still as a cat for wisdom to appear. So glad I clicked (better late than never) on the link from AW and found it. Thanks, Jamie.