Poetry for Your Reading Pleasure: Pangur Ban

Pangur Ban - Translation attributed to Robin Flowers
 
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;
'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 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.

This ninth-century poem was written in the Reichenau Primer (aka St. Paul Irish Codex) by an Irish monk who was probably practicing his copyist skills. The monk would have been far from his native soil, most likely in a monastery on Lake Constance, and whether he was the original author is unknown. Other content in his "notebook" includes inscriptions pertaining to typical scholarly topics in the Dark Ages, such as metaphysics and logic, with an astrological table among them. The manuscript is now in the monastery of Saint Paul in Unterdrauberg, Austria.

Page of the Primer with Pangur Ban penned in, lower left

Pangur means "fuller," which was a method for treating wool, and ban means "white." If you think about these meanings, you might agree that Pangur Ban could have been another way of calling a cat Fluffy. :)

The poem came to light in the early 20th century and has since been translated from Old Irish and interpreted by a great many poets, including W.H. Auden and Frank O'Connor. Robin Flowers, whose translation I shared, chose a rhyming format that I find a lot of fun. For a great blog entry on tracking down information on the Pangur Ban manuscript, see this article by SuburbanBanshee on wordpress.

I hope you've enjoyed this lovely poem that, although written so long ago, has a special resonance for anyone who owns a cat or who loves poetry - or both!

Best wishes from PrettyGonzo! 

In Praise of Cats

By associating with the cat, one only risks becoming 
richer. — Colette

The Sweet Wee Cat Is Back!

 

Gonzo loves the verdant world of summertime! I certainly do envy his ability to find secret comfy hiding places in the greenery of a little urban backyard. :)

Very best wishes ... and Happy Summer ... from PrettyGonzo!

Greetings Once Again!

Because of the health crisis experienced by my loved one last December and all that it has entailed, I've found it impossible to tend to my blog. It's been a long, rocky road for him, and there's a lot more ahead. However, I'm hoping to pick up the pieces of my blog bit by bit whenever I can. And I've managed to keep up my ArtFire shop, which, after the needs of my loved one, is a priority for me. 

My sweet cat, Gonzo, has been a little shining light in the murk and difficulties of the past five months, always ready to remind me that, despite all, life can still hold some kitty treats, a petting, and a little toy mousie to proudly cart around. He has kept my spirits from plunging with his simple affirmations of life and purring assertion that a loving touch can mean all and everything.

Animals were never expelled from Paradise, Milan Kundera writes in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and maybe that's why our pets can so ground us in a storm, and why we love them so. What we give to them is the best of us in a fallen world, and what they give to us in return is a glimpse of rightness and bliss and, in tough times, the courage to hope.

This is a photograph of Gonzo that I took on a cold, snowy night last winter.

It's not the best picture, but I love it because he has such a simple imploring look. Outside, conditions may be freezing and the wet white stuff may be piling up with utter abandon; but what matters is inside—a treat, a little love, and some warmth.

We feed our pets and try to keep them healthy and safe; in return, they bless us with happiness and strength, even in the worst times. Lucky humans, we certainly are ... despite all. :)

Very best wishes from PrettyGonzo!

Happy Christmas to All!

I haven't been able to keep up with my blog in the past couple of days because of necessities with my loved one in the hospital. But I do want to take this time to wish everyone a merry Christmas from Gonzo and me.

I hope you have a lovely day full of peace and joy. Seasons greetings from PrettyGonzo!

The Sweet Wee Cat

An InterFaith Prayer

Normally Monday is the day for my "What's Happening at the Shop" post. However, in the past week someone very near and dear to me ended up in the hospital and is in serious condition in an intensive care unit. Consequently, not much has been happening at the shop—although a lot has been happening at the hospital.

I found the following interfaith blessing online, and I thought it might serve today's blog post better than anything else. It was written by Abby Willowroot, and I am including a link to her site here: please click. This is her beautiful blessing:

Healing Blessing

Bless this day with healing, bless it with
radiant sun energy, fill each cell of the body,
bringing a flood of healthy energy to all the body,
banishing illness & disease, as healing grows.

May the abundant powers of health flourish within,
each day, may they expand & grow stronger,
bringing the gifts of vitality, strength & wellbeing,
Blessings flow now with ample energy & happiness.

                                                                                       ~ Abby Willowroot © 2009

Please note that this is copyrighted material and that the author kindly permits sharing for noncommercial purposes and also requests a link to her site. A link to information on ordering her book Life Changes: InterFaith Prayers & Blessings is here: click.

Many thanks to Abby for sharing this.
______________________________

Perhaps for a moment somewhere between the last-minute shopping rush and Christmas preparations, we might all consider those who are less fortunate and able than us this holiday season, and send a little hopeful energy their way through a prayer, or the above blessing, or simply a positive thought.

Best wishes for a happy holiday season from Gonzo and me.

Poetry for Your Reading Pleasure: Dorothy Wordsworth

from Loving and Liking: Irregular Verses Addressed to a Child - by Dorothy Wordsworth

  Long may you love your pensioner mouse,
Though one of a tribe that torment the house:
Nor dislike for her cruel sport the cat
Deadly foe both of mouse and rat;
Remember she follows the law of her kind,
And Instinct is neither wayward nor blind.
Then think of her beautiful gliding form,
Her tread that would scarcely crush a worm,
And her soothing song by the winter fire,
Soft as the dying throb of the lyre.
____________________________________

Dorothy Wordsworth (1771–1855) was the sister of the better-known major Romantic poet William Wordsworth. Her poems were not published in her lifetime. The majority of her writing focused on nature, and her works include various journals and travelogues.

I hope you have enjoy this week's poem. The countdown to Christmas is here! Wishing you the best as you prepare for your holiday celebrations. Season's Greetings from PrettyGonzo!