Learn English – “…the Black Camel will kneel at your door” is a reference to time of death. What is the origin of this metaphor

etymologymetaphors

I was reading the "Life-Line" by Robert Heinlein. His writing is beautifully decorated with allegories and metaphors and it is pretty obvious to me that he refers kneeling of black camel to imply the time of death in the below passage.

"I will repeat my discovery. In simple language, I have invented a technique to tell how long a man will live. I can give you advance billing of the Angel of Death. I can tell you when the Black Camel will kneel at your door. In five minutes' time, with my apparatus, I can tell any of you how many grains of sand are still left in your hourglass."

I did find another reference in a movie from 1931 with the name Black Camel.

Death is a black camel that kneels unbidden at every gate.

Can someone help with the inception of this analogy or the associated symbolism–religious, literal or cultural?

Best Answer

The idea of death as a black camel appears to be part of a longer proverb. It's interesting to note that the full proverb is said in the 1929 movie, The Black Camel.

The earliest example I have found is in The Belfast News-Letter (Belfast, Ireland), Tuesday, October 3, 1837; Issue 10462:

Turkish Proverbs— [...] Death is a black camel that kneels before every man's door.

Here are some other old sources:

Neither could there be any mistake about this solemn Turkish proverb: Death is a black camel which kneels at every man's gate, in so far at least as that it would be at once ascribed to the East.
The Western Literary Messenger, 1853

"Death," said men of the East, "is a black camel that kneels at every man's gate."
The Threads of a Storm-sail, 1853

There is something manifestly Oriental in these two: — Death is a black camel, which kneels at every man's gate.
The Living Age, 1854

There is nothing out of the common way in this simple recital of our first loss. No doubt almost every one who reads it could tell a similar story, for the proverb is true enough, “The Black Camel kneels at every man's door," but the purpose I have at present before me is to remind such that there is more in the proverb than at first sight appears.

No doubt the notion which the Turks have, and which generally obtains, is that the Black Camel kneels to take up and bear away as his burden what is most precious to us. Such, and such alone, was my feeling when our little girl was taken from us; but I have lived some years since then, and have lived to learn that- there is a. deeper meaning in the saying, worth far more than that which lies on the surface. The Black Camel takes away our treasure; but when he kneels at our door, does he not many a time leave behind a still greater treasure?
The Living Age, 1866

The Turkish collections enumerate these, of which some, at least, seem to be of Arab birth. "Death is a black camel that kneels at every man's gate."
Bibliotheca Sacra, 1881

Recent sources:

I don't speak either language, so it's hard for me to find anything further on the matter. I think the expression in Arabic is (because it's listed here):

الموت جمل أسود يركع أمام جميع البواب

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