أَخٌ طالَما سَرَّني ذِكرُهُ

أَخٌ طالَما سَرَّني ذِكرُهُ

فَقَد صِرتُ أَشجى لَدى ذِكرِهِ

فَقَد صِرتُ أَشجى لَدى ذِكرِهِ

A brother whose mention so often delighted me—

A brother whose memory oft brought me delight

but now I grieve at the mention of him.

Now the thought of him fills me with grief and blight

وَقَد كُنتُ أَغدو إِلى قَصرِهِ

وَقَد كُنتُ أَغدو إِلى قَصرِهِ

فَقَد صِرتُ أَغدو إِلى قَبرِهِ

فَقَد صِرتُ أَغدو إِلى قَبرِهِ

And I used to go in the morning to his palace,

To his palace I’d hasten with steps day and night

but now I go in the morning to his grave.

But now ‘tis his grave where my visits alight

وَكُنتُ أَراني غَنِيّاً بِهِ

وَكُنتُ أَراني غَنِيّاً بِهِ

عَنِ الناسِ لَو مُدَّ في عُمرِهِ

عَنِ الناسِ لَو مُدَّ في عُمرِهِ

And I felt that, with him, I had no need

With him I felt wealthy, of people in spite

of other people—if only his life had been prolonged.

If only his life could have been prolonged outright

وَكُنتُ مَتى جِئتُ في حاجَةٍ

وَكُنتُ مَتى جِئتُ في حاجَةٍ

فَأَمري يَجوزُ عَلى أَمرِهِ

فَأَمري يَجوزُ عَلى أَمرِهِ

And whenever I came with a need,

Whenever I came with a need or a plight

my request would take precedence over his own.

My affairs on his hands would turn out alright

فَتىً لَم يُخَلِّ النَدى ساعَةً

فَتىً لَم يُخَلِّ النَدى ساعَةً

عَلى يُسرِهِ كانَ أَو عُسرِهِ

عَلى يُسرِهِ كانَ أَو عُسرِهِ

A young man who never abandoned generosity for an hour,

A youth pure of heart, from dawn until night

whether he was prosperous or in hardship.

In good times or bad, he’d stand up for what’s right

تَظَلُّ نَهارَكَ في خَيرِهِ

تَظَلُّ نَهارَكَ في خَيرِهِ

وَتَأمَنُ لَيلَكَ مِن شَرِّهِ

وَتَأمَنُ لَيلَكَ مِن شَرِّهِ

You spend your day amid his goodness,

You’d rest through the night without fear or fright

and are safe all night from his harm.

And spend the day safe ‘neath his power and might

فَصارَ عَلِيٌّ إِلى رَبِّهِ

فَصارَ عَلِيٌّ إِلى رَبِّهِ

وَكانَ عَلِيٌّ فَتى دَهرِهِ

وَكانَ عَلِيٌّ فَتى دَهرِهِ

So Ali has gone to his Lord,

To his Lord departed this Ali so bright

and Ali was the noble man of his age.

The hero, the star of his age and his time

أَتَتهُ المَنِيُّةُ مُغتالَةً

أَتَتهُ المَنِيُّةُ مُغتالَةً

رُوَيداً تَخَلَّلُ مِن سِترِهِ

رُوَيداً تَخَلَّلُ مِن سِترِهِ

Death came to him, striking unawares,

Death snatched him away without pity or slight

slowly slipping through his veil.

Slipping in through a gap in his armor to smite

فَلَم تُغنِ أَجنادُهُ حَولَهُ

فَلَم تُغنِ أَجنادُهُ حَولَهُ

وَلا المُسرِعونَ إِلى نَصرِهِ

وَلا المُسرِعونَ إِلى نَصرِهِ

So his troops around him availed him nothing,

His troops gathered round him were useless that night

nor those who hastened to his aid.

No aid could be rendered try as they might

وَأَصبَحَ يَغدو إِلى مَنزِلٍ

وَأَصبَحَ يَغدو إِلى مَنزِلٍ

سَحيقٍ تُؤُنِّقُ في حَفرِهِ

سَحيقٍ تُؤُنِّقُ في حَفرِهِ

And now he goes in the morning to a dwelling

Now he wakes every morn in a dwelling uptight

deep, dug with meticulous care.

A narrow, dark hole that’s sealed up airtight

تُغَلَّقُ بِالتُربِ أَبوابُهُ

تُغَلَّقُ بِالتُربِ أَبوابُهُ

إِلى يَومَ يُؤذَنُ في حَشرِهِ

إِلى يَومَ يُؤذَنُ في حَشرِهِ

Its doors are sealed with earth

Those doors will stay shut until the end of all life

until the day his gathering for judgment is permitted.

When the trumpet is blown announcing new light

وَخَلّى القُصورَ الَّتي شادَها

وَخَلّى القُصورَ الَّتي شادَها

وَحَلَّ مِنَ القَبرِ في قَعرِهِ

وَحَلَّ مِنَ القَبرِ في قَعرِهِ

And he left the palaces he had built,

He left behind castles and mansions bedight

and settled at the bottom of the grave.

To rot in a grave that is dismal and trite

وَبُدِّلَ بِالبُسطِ فَرشَ الثَرى

وَبُدِّلَ بِالبُسطِ فَرشَ الثَرى

وَريحَ ثَرى الأَرضِ مِن عِطرِهِ

وَريحَ ثَرى الأَرضِ مِن عِطرِهِ

And in place of carpets he was given a bed of dust,

For tapestries lush he now has but earth blight

and the scent of the earth's dust in place of his perfume.

And clay is his scent, once so fragrant and bright

أَخو سَفَرٍ ما لَهُ أَوبَةٌ

أَخو سَفَرٍ ما لَهُ أَوبَةٌ

غَريبٌ وَإِن كانَ في مِصرِهِ

غَريبٌ وَإِن كانَ في مِصرِهِ

A traveler for whom there is no return,

A brother now gone, never more to unite

a stranger, even though he is in his own city.

An exile, though Egypt was once his delight

فَلَستُ مُشَيِّعَهُ غازِياً

فَلَستُ مُشَيِّعَهُ غازِياً

أَميراً يَسيرُ إِلى ثَغرِهِ

أَميراً يَسيرُ إِلى ثَغرِهِ

So I am not seeing him off to war,

No longer I’ll bid him farewell for the fight

a commander journeying to his frontier post,

As chieftain he marches to frontier outright

وَلا مُتَلَقِّيَهُ قافِلاً

وَلا مُتَلَقِّيَهُ قافِلاً

بِقَتلِ عَدُوٍّ وَلا أَسرِهِ

بِقَتلِ عَدُوٍّ وَلا أَسرِهِ

nor welcoming him as he returns,

No more will I greet his return from the blight

having slain an enemy or taken him captive.

With news of a vanquished foe, captives in tow

لِتُطرِهِ أَيّامُنا الصالِحاتُ

لِتُطرِهِ أَيّامُنا الصالِحاتُ

بِبِرٍّ إِذا نَحنُ لَم نُطرِهِ

بِبِرٍّ إِذا نَحنُ لَم نُطرِهِ

Let our good days extol him,

May our good days remember him doing what’s right

for his kindness, if we ourselves do not extol him.

Though when he was with us, we failed to requite

فَلا يَبعَدَنَّ أَخي ثاوِياً

فَلا يَبعَدَنَّ أَخي ثاوِياً

فَكُلٌّ سَيَمضي عَلى إِثرِهِ

فَكُلٌّ سَيَمضي عَلى إِثرِهِ

So may my brother, lying at rest, never be far away,

Let not, my dear brother, your memory take flight

for everyone will follow in his footsteps.

For all men must follow the path you did smite