Every Stranger Is Kin to a Stranger: The Timeless Poetry of Imru’ al-Qais

Some poems survive for centuries because they express something human beings never stop experiencing: loneliness, the desire to belong, and the realization that time cannot be turned back.

One short Arabic poem, traditionally attributed to the pre-Islamic poet Imru’ al-Qais (امرؤ القيس), explores all three. Its five verses begin with a simple address to a neighbor and end with a striking reflection on death.

At its heart is one memorable line:

وَكُلُّ غَرِيبٍ لِلْغَرِيبِ نَسِيبُ

Wa-kullu gharībin lil-gharībi nasību.

“And every stranger is kin to a stranger.”

You do not need to be an advanced Arabic student to appreciate this poem. Some of its words are still familiar in modern Arabic, while its deeper meaning becomes clearer as we read each verse.

About the Poem at a Glance

Who Was Imru’ al-Qais?

Imru’ al-Qais is one of the best-known poets of pre-Islamic Arabia, the period before the rise of Islam in the seventh century CE. His poetry is an important part of the classical Arabic literary tradition.

Traditional accounts describe him as a man who travelled far from his homeland after losing his father’s kingdom. One literary account connects the final part of his journey with Mount ʿAsīb (عَسِيب), near Ankara, where he is said to have become ill and died.

The story associated with this poem says that he encountered a grave while far from home and addressed its occupant as his neighbor. The account gives the poem a moving setting: two people brought together not by family or birthplace, but by their shared distance from home.

A note on the sources:
This story should be understood as a traditional literary account rather than a fully established historical record. The poem is traditionally attributed to Imru’ al-Qais, but details of its setting and composition should be treated with care.

The Poem: Arabic, Transliteration, and English Translation

The Arabic text below includes vowel marks (tashkīl) to help learners read the verses aloud. The English translation aims to preserve the meaning and feeling of the poem rather than reproduce every word mechanically.

Verse 1 — When Hardships Keep Coming

أَجَارَتَنَا إِنَّ الْخُطُوبَ تَنُوبُ
وَإِنِّي مُقِيمٌ مَا أَقَامَ عَسِيبُ

Transliteration

Ajāratanā inna al-khuṭūba tanūbu, wa-innī muqīmun mā aqāma ʿAsību.

Translation

“O our neighbor, hardships come one after another,
and I shall remain here as long as Mount ʿAsīb stands.”

Reflection

The poem opens by addressing a neighbor. The word الْخُطُوبُ (al-khuṭūb) refers to serious troubles or calamities. The poet acknowledges that hardship is part of life, while declaring that he will remain where he is for as long as the mountain stands.

In the context of the traditional story, the line takes on a sadder meaning. His stay may be far more permanent than an ordinary visit.

Words to Notice

Verse 2 — A Stranger Understands Another Stranger

أَجَارَتَنَا إِنَّا غَرِيبَانِ هَاهُنَا
وَكُلُّ غَرِيبٍ لِلْغَرِيبِ نَسِيبُ

Transliteration

Ajāratanā innā gharībāni hāhunā, wa-kullu gharībin lil-gharībi nasību.

Translation

“O our neighbor, we are both strangers here,
and every stranger is kin to a stranger.”

Reflection

This is the poem’s central idea.

The poet and the person he addresses may have no family connection. Yet their shared experience of being far from home creates a different kind of bond.

Think of someone moving to a new country, arriving at a university where they know nobody, or trying to build a life in a place where they do not speak the language well. Meeting another person who understands that experience can make an unfamiliar place feel a little less lonely.

The poem suggests that belonging does not always begin with family ties. Sometimes it begins with recognizing a similar struggle in someone else.

Key idea:
This verse is the emotional heart of the poem. It transforms a simple greeting into a statement about human connection.

Words to Notice

Grammar note:
Notice the ending of غَرِيبَانِ. In formal Arabic, the dual form helps show that the poet is speaking about two people.

Verse 3 — Kinship Needs Connection

فَإِنْ تَصِلِينَا فَالْقَرَابَةُ بَيْنَنَا
وَإِنْ تَصْرِمِينَا فَالْغَرِيبُ غَرِيبُ

Transliteration

Fa-in taṣilīnā fal-qarābatu baynanā, wa-in taṣrimīnā fal-gharību gharību.

Translation

“If you draw close to us, then kinship will bind us;
if you turn away, a stranger remains a stranger.”

Reflection

The poet now considers what makes a connection real. Shared circumstances may bring two people close, but a relationship still depends on whether they respond to one another.

The contrast between تَصِلِينَا (taṣilīnā) and تَصْرِمِينَا (taṣrimīnā) is important. The first expresses joining or maintaining a connection; the second means cutting off or severing that connection.

The message is simple: people can remain strangers, or they can choose to build a relationship.

Words to Notice

Pattern to notice:
You may see the ending ـنَا (-nā) in words such as جَارَتَنَا and بَيْنَنَا. Depending on the word, it can mean “our” or “us.” This is one example of how Arabic attaches pronouns to words rather than always using separate words.

If you want to explore this pattern further, Souhba’s Arabic Attached Pronouns guide is a useful next step.

Verse 4 — The Past Will Not Return

أَجَارَتَنَا مَا فَاتَ لَيْسَ يَؤُوبُ
وَمَا هُوَ آتٍ فِي الزَّمَانِ قَرِيبُ

Transliteration

Ajāratanā mā fāta laysa yaʾūbu, wa-mā huwa ātin fī az-zamāni qarību.

Translation

“O our neighbor, what has passed will not return,
and what is yet to come is near in time.”

Reflection

Here, the poem turns from loneliness to time.

The past is beyond our reach. The future, meanwhile, approaches whether we feel ready for it or not. The verse invites us to consider how quickly life moves and how little control we have over what has already happened.

This idea has a familiar connection to Egyptian Arabic. You may have heard the expression:

اللِّي فَات مَات **Illi fāt māt.

Literally, it means something like “what has passed is dead.” It is commonly used to encourage someone to stop dwelling on the past and move forward. It is not the same expression as the poem’s line, but both draw attention to the fact that what has passed cannot simply be recovered.

Words to Notice

Verse 5 — Who Is Truly a Stranger?

وَلَيْسَ غَرِيبًا مَنْ تَنَاءَتْ دِيَارُهُ
وَلَكِنَّ مَنْ وَارَى التُّرَابُ غَرِيبُ

Transliteration

Wa-laysa gharīban man tanāʾat diyāruhu, wa-lākinna man wārā at-turābu gharību.

Translation

“A person is not a stranger simply because their homeland is far away;
the one covered by the earth is the stranger.”

Reflection

The final verse changes the meaning of the poem’s central word.

Until now, gharīb has described someone separated from home. In the final line, the poet points toward a deeper separation: death.

A person living far from their homeland can still remember, speak, form friendships, and find a sense of belonging. The person who has died, however, has passed beyond the company of the living.

The image of earth covering the dead gives the verse its force. The poem begins with a stranger seeking connection and ends by reminding us that distance from home is not the greatest separation a human being can experience.

It is a sobering ending, but not an empty one. The poem also reminds us that while we are alive, the connections we make with others still matter.

Words to Notice

What Can Arabic Learners Learn From This Poem?

Classical Arabic poetry can look intimidating at first. The vocabulary, grammar, and style are sometimes very different from everyday conversation. But a short poem like this offers a manageable way to explore the language while discovering something about Arabic literary culture.

1. Recognize Words That Remain Familiar Today

Words such as غَرِيب (gharīb, “stranger”), قَرِيب (qarīb, “near”), زَمَان (zamān, “time”), and تُرَاب (turāb, “earth”) are still used in modern Arabic, although their meaning and use depend on context.

2. Practise Reading With Vowel Marks

The tashkīl helps you identify the intended pronunciation. Try reading one verse slowly, then repeat it without looking at the transliteration. Some grammatical forms belong specifically to classical Arabic, so do not worry if every construction is not immediately familiar.

3. Listen for the Poem’s Repeated Ending Sounds

The verses share a recurring long -ību sound, as in tanūbu, ʿAsību, nasību, and gharību. Reading aloud helps you notice the rhythm and vowel lengths that are easy to miss when reading silently.

4. Learn Through Meaning, Not Memorization Alone

Instead of memorizing a list of isolated words, connect each word to the verse where it appears. Ask yourself why the poet chose that word and how it contributes to the meaning. This makes vocabulary easier to remember.

5. Explore the Relationship Between Classical and Modern Arabic

A classical poem is not a guide to everyday conversation on its own. Still, reading it alongside Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Arabic can help you recognize shared vocabulary and appreciate how the language has been used across different periods.

A Final Thought

The line وَكُلُّ غَرِيبٍ لِلْغَرِيبِ نَسِيبُ offers a simple but lasting idea: people who share an experience of being outsiders may find a connection that circumstances alone could never give them.

The poem then goes further. It asks us to look beyond distance, remember how quickly time passes, and recognize the difference between being far from home and being separated from the living altogether.

That is part of what makes classical poetry worth reading today. The language may be old, but the questions it raises are still familiar.

Continue Learning Arabic With Souhba

At Souhba, we believe learning Arabic can be about more than grammar rules and vocabulary lists. It can also open a door to the stories, poetry, and culture carried by the language.

Whether you are beginning with the Arabic alphabet, learning Modern Standard Arabic, practising Egyptian Arabic, or exploring classical texts, a patient, level-appropriate approach can help you move forward.

Explore learning Arabic with Souhba and take the next step in your Arabic journey.

Sources and Further Reading

Editorial note:
The poem is traditionally attributed to Imru’ al-Qais. The story connecting it to his final journey is a traditional literary account; its details should not be treated as independently verified historical fact.