Pangur Ban earned his place in history through an eight- stanza poem of the same name, believed to have been written in the 8th or 9th century. The poem was written in Old Irish, and, as with most things, translations have the tendency to disagree. I included two different ones here, to give the different feel of the poem. Robin Flower's translation is the most commonly used and recognized.
The poem reads as follows:
Old Irish Poem Messe [ocus] Pangur bán, cechtar nathar fria saindán; bíth a menma-sam fri seilgg, mu menma céin im saincheirdd Caraim-se fós, ferr cach clú, oc mu lebrán léir ingnu; ní foirmtech frimm Pangur bán, caraid cesin a maccdán. Ó ru-biam scél cén scis innar tegdias ar n-oéndis, táithiunn dichríchide clius ní fris 'tarddam ar n-áthius. Gnáth-huaraib ar greassaib gal glenaid luch ina lín-sam; os me, du-fuit im lín chéin dliged ndoraid cu n-dronchéill. Fúachaid-sem fri freaga fál a rosc a nglése comlán; fúachimm chéin fri fégi fis mu rosc réil, cesu imdis. Fáelid-sem cu n-déne dul, hi nglen luch ina gérchrub; hi-tucu cheist n-doraid n-dil, os mé chene am fáelid. Cia beimini amin nach ré ní derban cách a chéle; mait le cechtar nár a dán subaigthiud a óenurán. Hé fesin as choimsid dáu in muid du-n-gní cach óenláu; do thabairt doraid du glé for mumud céin am messe. | Translation By Robin Flower 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 task to see At our tasks how glad are we, When at home we sit and find Entertainment to our mind. Oftentimes a mouse will stray In 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 task 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. | Translation By Eavan Bolan Myself and Pangur, cat and sage Go each about our business; I harass my beloved page, He his mouse. Fame comes second to the peace Of study, a still day Unenvying, Pangur's choice Is child's play. Neither bored, both hone At home a separate skill Moving after hours alone To the kill When at last his net wraps After a sly fight Around a mouse; mine traps Sudden insight. On my cell wall here, His sight fixes, burning, Searching; my old eyes peer At new learning, And his delight when his claws Close on his prey Equals mine when sudden clues Light my way. So we find by degrees Peace in solitude, Both of us, solitaries, Have each the trade He loves: Pangur, never idle Day or night Hunts mice; I hunt each riddle From dark to light. |
The Book of Kells does have several images of cats in it, whether as parts of letters or in margins. At the time, domesticated cats would have been common in abbeys and monasteries, kept to help kill mice. The monks working on the Book of Kells likely had cats around them as they worked. Both the Book of Kells and the Reichnau Primer are from the same time period as well, and both are of Irish origin. All of these similarities bring the two together, though the strongest link I was able to find between to two of them was the movie "The Secret of Kells." This movie, created in 2009 by Irish, Belgian and French artists tells the fictional story of a young boy who learns to paint and finishes the Book of Kells. The movie is purely fictional, but features a cat names Pangur Ban, who is an integral part of the plot. Because of this, many people falsely assume that the cat was part of the Book of Kells. I was surprised by the amount of people who watched this fictional movie and took it for granted that it was historically accurate. All of this goes to show how much pop culture can alter the perception we have of history.