ألا أيها الباكي أخاه وإنما

ألا أيها الباكي أخاه وإنما

تفرق يوم الفدفد الأخوان

تفرق يوم الفدفد الأخوان

Ah, you who weep for your brother—it was only

O you who cry for your brother, yet

on the day of al-Fadfad that the two brothers parted.

We parted when calamity scattered the brothers

أخي يوم أحجار الثمام بكيته

أخي يوم أحجار الثمام بكيته

ولو حم يومي قبله لبكاني

ولو حم يومي قبله لبكاني

My brother—I wept for him on the day of Ahjar al-Thumam;

My brother, the day the rocks of Thamam made me weep for him

and had my day come before his, he would have wept for me.

Had he lived till my day, he too would have wept for me

تداعت به أيامه فاخترمنه

تداعت به أيامه فاخترمنه

وأبقين لي شجوا بكل مكان

وأبقين لي شجوا بكل مكان

His days rallied against him and cut his life short,

Time has worn him away and taken him from me

and left me sorrow in every place.

Leaving me with grief everywhere I wander

فليت الذي يبكي بعثمان غدوة

فليت الذي يبكي بعثمان غدوة

دعا عند قبري مثلها فنعاني

دعا عند قبري مثلها فنعاني

Would that the one who weeps for Uthman at dawn

If only he who cries for Uthman in the morning

would raise the same cry beside my grave and announce my death.

Would come to my grave and join me in sorrow

فلو قسمت في الجن والانس عبرتي

فلو قسمت في الجن والانس عبرتي

عليه بكى من حرها الثقلان

عليه بكى من حرها الثقلان

Were my tears shared among jinn and humankind,

If I could divide my flowing tears among spirits and men

both races would weep for him from their burning heat.

For him, all would weep in agony

ولو كانت الأيام تطلب فديه

ولو كانت الأيام تطلب فديه

إليه وصرف الدهر ما ألواني

إليه وصرف الدهر ما ألواني

And had the days demanded a ransom

If only time could be paid to bring him back

for him—and the turns of time too—they would not have failed me.

I would give it anything, though fate has many hues