Pangur Bán

An Old Irish poem concerning a cat, written by a monk in the Reichenau Primer. (9th Century). Text and translation printed in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus: A Collection of Old-Irish Glosses Scholia Prose and Verse ed. Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. 2 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1903), 293-294.

Text

Messe ocus Pangur Bán • cechtar nathar fria saindan

bíth a menmasam fri seilgg • mu menma céin im saincheirdd.

Caraimse fos ferr cach clú • oc mu lebran leir ingnu

ni foirmtech frimm Pangur Bán • caraid cesin a maccdán.

Orubiam scél cen scís • innar tegdais ar noendís

taithiunn dichrichide clius • ni fristarddam arnáthius.

Gnáth huaraib ar gressaib gal • glenaid luch inna línsam

os mé dufuit im lín chéin • dliged ndoraid cu ndronchéill.

Fuachaidsem fri frega fál • a rosc anglése comlán

fuachimm chein fri fegi fis • mu rosc reil cesu imdis.

Faelidsem cu ndene dul • hinglen luch inna gerchrub

hi tucu cheist nodoraid ndil • os me chene am faelid

Cia beimmi amin nach ré • ni derban cách a chele

maith la cechtar nár a dán • subaigthius a óenurán.

He fesin as choimsid dáu • in muid dungní cach oenláu

du thabairt doraid de glé • for mu mud cein am messe.

Translation

I and Pangur Bán, each of us two at his special art:

his mind is at hunting (mice), my own mind is my special craft.

I love to rest - better than any fame - at my booklet with diligent science:

not envious of me is Pangur Bán: he himself loves his childish art.

When we are - tale without tedium - in our house, we two alone,

we have - unlimited (is) feat-sport - something to which to apply our acuteness.

It is customary at times by feats of valour, that a mouse sticks in his net,

and for me there falls into my net a difficult dictum with hard meaning.

His eye, this glancing full one, he points against the wall-fence:

I myself against the keenness of science point my clear eye, though it is very feeble.

He is joyous with speedy going where a mouse sticks in his sharp claw:

I too am joyous, where I understand a difficult dear question.

Though we are thus always, neither hinders the other:

each of us two likes his art, amuses himself alone.

He himself is master of the work which he does every day:

while I am at my own work, (which is) two bring difficulty to clearness.