poetry4

Pangur Ban

~Anonymous, 9th Century Scribe

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 tasks how glad are we
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind

Often times 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 tasks we ply,
Pangur Ban, my cat and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine and he has his.

Practice very day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade;
I get wisdom day and night
turning darkness into light.

~from "In the House of Memory:
Ancient Celtic Wisdom for Everyday life" by Steve Rabey

WICCAN REDE

by Doreen Valiente

Bide ye Wiccan laws ye must in perfect love and perfect trust
Live and let live, fairly take and fairly give
Form the circle thrice about to keep all evil spirits out
To bind ye spell every time, let ye spell be spake in rhyme
Soft of eye, light of touch, speak ye little, listen much
Deosil go by the waxing moon, singing out ye Witches' Rune
Widdershins go by the waning moon, chanting out ye Baneful Rune
When the Lady's moon is new, kiss your hand to her times two
When the moon rides at her peak, then ye heart's desire seek
Heed the North wind's mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail
When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss thee on the mouth
When the wind blows from the West, departed souls may have no rest
When the wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast
Nine woods in ye cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow
Elder be ye Lady's tree, burn it not or cursed ye'll be
When the wheel begins to turn, soon ye Beltaine fire'll burn
When the wheel hath turned a Yule, light a log the Horned One rules
Heed ye flower, bush and tree, by the Lady blessed be
Where the rippling waters flow, cast a stone and truth ye'll know
When ye have and hold a need, harken not to others greed
With a fool no season spend, nor be counted as his friend
Merry meet and merry part, bright the cheeks and warm the heart
Mind ye threefold law ye should, three times bad and three times good
When misfortune is anow, wear the star upon thy brow
True in love ye must ever be, lest thy love be false to thee
In these eight words the Wicca Rede fulfill,
'An ye harm none, do what ye will'.

Charge of the Goddess

Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess;
she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven,
and whose body encircles the universe:
I who am the beauty of the green earth,
and the white moon among the stars,
and the mystery of the waters,
call unto thy soul: Arise, and come unto me.
For I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe.
From Me all things proceed, and unto Me all things must return;
and before My face, beloved of gods and of men,
let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.
Let My worship be within the heart that rejoices;
for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals.
And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion,
honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
And thou who thinkest to seek Me,
know that thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not,
unless thou knowest the Mystery:
that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee,
thou wilt never find it without.
For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning;
and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.
From: "The Charge of the Goddess" by Doreen Valiente