O death; O death Death is so harsh Death is so cruelDeath who struck down Amadou Ba GuindoBut death spares no creatureNothing can stop itNot even fameOr having many childrenGreat riches and many friendsAmadou is goneAnd when I go to Douentza I will not see him again He will never be seen again in Bamako In Douentza Tenin OngoTna cries for you Whilst in Bamako Amadou cries for you As Adja' cries for youYour widow Fanta cries for her missing husband For Guindo has disappeared, struck down by treacherous deathIn Bamako your old friend Alou Tracre misses youHow bitter is death, how bitter separationIt is hard to break the links (of friendship)How it is hard to be separated from one's people,GuindoBut death spares no oneThe Grim Reaper of hope did not spare AmadouGuindoIf it did not spare the Prophet MohammedJust as it struck down Amadou CherifLeaving his father Bouba in painMay his soul rest in peaceHow harsh is separation, how harsh deathAnd merciless death strikes without distinctionVillainous death crouches at a bend in the path,lying in wait for usMay God preserve us from itBut death spares no oneIt strikes in the prime of lifePerfidious death crouches at a bend in the pathO death; O deathYou did not spare GuindoNo creature can escape you0 death, O death, how you are cruel