Pangur Bán
I and Pangur Bán my cat, / 'Tis a like task we are at:
Hunting mice is delight, / Hunting words I sit all night.
'Tis a merry thing to see / At our tasks how glad are we,
When at home we set 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 Bán, my cat and I;
In our arts we find our bliss, / I have mine and he has his.
[an Irish poem, circa 8th century]