Pangur Ban

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.

'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.

Often times a mouse will stray,
In the hero Pangur's way:
Often times my keen thought set,
Takes a meaning in its net.

Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect at his trade:
I get wisdom day and night,
Turning darkness into light.

(Monaco Irlandese anonimo, 8 Secolo)