أَلا مَن لي بِأُنسِكَ يا أُخَيّا

وَمَن لي أَن أَبُثَّكَ ما لَدَيّا

Oh who will give me your company, my brother

And who will I tell my troubles to

طَوَتكَ خُطوبُ دَهرِكَ بَعدَ نَشرٍ

كَذاكَ خُطوبُهُ نَشراً وَطَيّا

The trials of fate obscured you after being spread

That is how its trials obscure and fold

فَلَو نَشَرَت قُواكَ لِيَ المَنايا

شَكَوتُ إِلَيكَ ما صَنَعَت إِلَيّا

If death had taken you from me

I would have complained to you of what it did to me

بَكيتُكَ يا أُخَيَّ بَدَمعِ عَيني

فَلَم يُغنِ البُكاءُ عَلَيكَ شَيّا

I cried for you my brother with tears from my eyes

But crying did not avail you anything

وَكانَت في حَياتِكَ لي عِظاتٌ

وَأَنتَ اليَومَ أَوعَظُ مِنكَ حَيّا

And during your life you gave me advice

But today you advise me more than when alive