I have seen death strike like a blind she-camel: it…
Quote
I have seen death strike like a blind she-camel: it kills whom it hits, and whom it misses lives to grow old.
Arabic original
رأيت المنايا خبط عشواء، من تصب تمته، ومن تخطئ يعمر فيهرم.
What it means
The poorly sighted camel represents the unpredictability of death. The verse expresses the limits of control over fate, through the voice of a poet contemplating a long life.
The story behind this quote
The reflection belongs to the final part of Zuhayr’s Mu‘allaqa. Its Arabic image also became an expression for acting blindly, without understanding or direction.
The image relies on the unpredictable blows of an animal unable to see clearly where it moves. It gives concrete form to uncertainty about tomorrow. Within the sequence of maxims, that uncertainty accompanies recognition of the limits of knowledge and experience accumulated with age.
The source
معلقة زهير بن أبي سلمى, من أبيات الحكمة في ختام المعلقة
The text appears in the indicated source. A traditional attribution remains distinct from proof of authorship: see the context.
More quotes by Zuhayr ibn Abi Sulma
I am weary of life’s burdens; whoever lives eighty years, indeed, grows weary.
Whatever character a person has, even if they think it hidden from others, it becomes known.
A stranger may take an enemy for a friend; whoever does not honour himself is not honoured.