1. O my father who passed away silently and suddenly,
An arrow of fate struck him from the west.

2. And the hand of death snatched him away,
Ambushing from the rock of a mother and father.

3. I would sacrifice him for a fresh, green basil plant,
Whose stick became firewood when dried up.

4. A ruby whose mineral was taken away by death,
So it became like a rod of gold.

5. It was as if a rose came to visit,
Then its days swiftly vanished.

6. It shone like a bright star, but before
My eyes had their fill, it had set.

7. The full moon appeared from behind it,
Then a thick cloud covered and concealed it.

8. Woe to me for what I hoped for from him,
And what profits I desired from him.

9. Abu Ali, cleverness separated us,
Which cannot be swayed by reproach.

10. Abu Ali, circumstances split us apart,
And the changing of fate.

11. Abu Ali, I hoped you would
Relieve your father’s worries.

12. Abu Ali, you were a comfort to me,
But doubt crept up and ambushed me about you.

13. The Almighty overpowered me about you,
He who overcomes, only overcomes.

14. And my longest sorrow for you will remain
Even if the length of sorrow itself passes.

15. O you who migrated from me, not by choice,
And turned away, not in anger.

16. After you, a longing remains that consumes
The nights and eras.

17. May God suffice me from one who parts,
Storing reward that I hope for.

18. A gift the days gave me,
Then they took back what they granted.

19. Say to one deluded by his days,
Who clings to their weak connections -

20. O you who seek comfort but miss it -
You have nothing from your life but fatigue.

21. What blood was not spilt for loving it?
What rope of it did not snap?

22. The youth gets nothing from it except
Worry, when he reflects on his two days.

23. It has eluded us with its calamities,
While death follows in pursuit.