Asram, beside him, ate his own bowl of steamed rice and dried fish. "Some men are thrice blessed by Allah, the Compassionate," he observed sourly. "First, when a man finds a woman who will bear him sons. Secondly, when he finds a woman who can hold her tongue. Third, when a woman anoints her body with perfume, oils her hair, and gives pleasure to his body." He added dryly, "There are other parts of a man's anatomy which occasionally need attention--including his belly."

1966.