Irish - Pangur Bán

‘White Pangur’: A scholar and his cat

  1. Messe [ocus] Pangur bán,
  2. cechtar nathar fria saindán;
  3. bíth a menma-sam fri seilgg,
  4. mu menma céin im saincheirdd.

  5. Caraim-se fos, ferr cach clú,
  6. oc mu lebrán léir ingnu;
  7. ní foirmtech frimm Pangur bán,
  8. caraid cesin a maccdán.

  9. Ó ru·biam — scél cen scís —
  10. innar tegdais ar n-óendís,
  11. táithiunn — díchríchide clius —
  12. ní fris tarddam ar n-áthius.

  13. Gnáth-húaraib ar gressaib gal
  14. glenaid luch inna lín-sam;
  15. os mé, du·fuit im lín chéin
  16. dliged n-doraid cu n-dronchéill.

  17. Fúachid-sem fri frega fál
  18. a rosc anglése comlán;
  19. fúachimm chéin fri fégi fis
  20. mu rosc réil, cesu imdis,

  21. Fáelid-sem cu n-déne dul
  22. hi·n-glen luch inna gérchrub;
  23. hi·tucu cheist n-doraid n-dil,
  24. os mé chene am fáelid.

  25. Cía beimmi amin nach ré,
  26. ní·derban cách ar chéle.
  27. Maith la cechtar nár a dán,
  28. subaigthius a óenurán.

  29. Hé fesin as choimsid dáu
  30. in muid du·n-gní cach óenláu;
  31. du thabairt doraid du glé
  32. for mu mud céin am messe.

Text from: R. Thurneysen, Old Irish Reader (Dublin, 1981), pp. 40–41

  1. I and white Pangur
  2. practise each of us his special art:
  3. his mind is set on hunting,
  4. my mind on my special craft.

  5. I love (it is better than all fame) to be quiet
  6. beside my book, diligently pursuing knowledge.
  7. White Pangur does not envy me:
  8. he loves his childish craft.

  9. When the two of us (this tale never wearies us) are
  10. alone together in our house,
  11. we have something to which we may apply our skill,
  12. an endless sport.

  13. It is usual, at times, as a result of warlike battlings,
  14. for a mouse to stick in his net.
  15. For my part, into my net
  16. falls some difficult rule of hard meaning.

  17. He directs his bright eye
  18. against an enclosing wall.
  19. Though my clear eye is very weak
  20. I direct it against keenness of knowledge.

  21. He is joyful with swift movement
  22. when a mouse sticks in his sharp paw.
  23. I too am joyful
  24. when I understand a dearly loved difficult problem.

  25. Though we be thus at any time,
  26. neither of us hinders the other:
  27. each of us likes his craft,
  28. severally rejoicing in them.

  29. He it is who is master for himself
  30. of the work which he does every day.
  31. I can perform my own work
  32. directed at understanding clearly what is difficult.

Translation from: Gerard Murphy, Early Irish Lyrics (Oxford, 1956), p. 3