أَلا مَن لي بِأُنسِكَ يا أُخَيّا

أَلا مَن لي بِأُنسِكَ يا أُخَيّا

وَمَن لي أَن أَبُشَّكَ ما لَدَيَّ

وَمَن لي أَن أَبُشَّكَ ما لَدَيَّ

Ah, who can give me your companionship, my dear brother?

Oh, who will comfort me, my brother,

And who will let me confide to you what I have?

And who will I confide my sorrows to?

طَوَتكَ خُطوبُ دَهرِكَ بَعدَ نَشرٍ

طَوَتكَ خُطوبُ دَهرِكَ بَعدَ نَشرٍ

كَذاكَ خُطوبُهُ نَشراً وَطَيّا

كَذاكَ خُطوبُهُ نَشراً وَطَيّا

The calamities of your time folded you away after unfolding you;

Life's calamities folded you, as they unfold

Such are its calamities: unfolding and folding.

Likewise they enfold and then unfold

فَلَو نَشَرَت قُواكَ لِيَ المَنايا

فَلَو نَشَرَت قُواكَ لِيَ المَنايا

شَكَوتُ إِلَيكَ ما صَنَعَت إِلَيّا

شَكَوتُ إِلَيكَ ما صَنَعَت إِلَيّا

So, if death unfolded your strength for me,

If only death's pangs opened up your strength to me

I would complain to you of what it has done to me.

I'd complain of what was done, if you could hear me

بَكَيتُكَ يا عَلِيُّ بِدَمعِ عَيني

بَكَيتُكَ يا عَلِيُّ بِدَمعِ عَيني

فَما أَغنى البُكاءُ عَلَيكَ شَيّا

فَما أَغنى البُكاءُ عَلَيكَ شَيّا

I wept for you, O Ali, with the tears of my eye;

I wept for you O Ali with tears from my eyes

But weeping over you availed nothing.

But weeping did not avail you in the least

كَفى حُزناً بِدَفنِكَ ثُمَّ إِنّي

كَفى حُزناً بِدَفنِكَ ثُمَّ إِنّي

نَفَضتُ اتُرابَ قَبرِكَ مِن يَدَيّا

نَفَضتُ اتُرابَ قَبرِكَ مِن يَدَيّا

Your burial was sorrow enough; then I

It was enough grief just to bury you, but now

Shook the dust of your grave from my two hands.

I brush the dust off your grave from my hand

وَكانَت في حَياتِكَ لي عِظاتٌ

وَكانَت في حَياتِكَ لي عِظاتٌ

وَأَنتَ اليَومَ أَوعَظُ مِنكَ حَيّا

وَأَنتَ اليَومَ أَوعَظُ مِنكَ حَيّا

And in your life there were lessons for me;

In life, you taught me lessons galore

And today you teach more than when you were alive.

But today, more than ever, alive you implore