Ireland… 1000 years ago

I believe I’ve stated in my about page that I enjoy history and recently I have taken an interest in the late Bronze Age early Iron Age so my mom gave me a book to read called How The Irish Saved Civilization. Now there is chapter on the 1st Millennium monastery’s and it turns out that the monks that lived in them were prone to scribbling poems in the margins of manuscripts. We don’t now if these poems were their own or not but one in particular written by a monk (We don’t now who). He lived in Switzerland caught my attention.

I and Pangur Ban my Cat

‘Tis a like task we are at

Hunting Mice is his Delight

Hunting words I sit all night

‘Tis a merry thing to see

At our tasks how glad are we

When at home we sit and find

Entertainment to our mind

‘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

So in peace our task we ply

Pangur Ban my cat and I

In our arts we find our bliss

I have mine and he has his