Letters to the Editor
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But Would He Walk a Mile for Her?
Camels do not have the most positive image in American culture. We know they require little water, may know about them being tempermental and will spit in your face. We know they used to shill cigarettes until their cartoony images were deemed unworthy as they might tempt children to smoke.
Consider the value a camel has for the desert-faring fellow in the story. A camel is about as valuable a critter as he could hope for. I suspect in terms of his culture, the comparison is one of flattery. It just doesn't travel well to America.
For another example, check out the "Song of Solomon" in your Bibles for some ways the ancients Middle Easterners flattered their women. How many American women do you know that would melt at hearing their breasts were like fawns and their neck like a tower?
Poetry and flattery are fleeting; without proper cultural understanding, it cannot be understood.