Choral dialogue

Men's Leader
No animal exists more stubborn than a woman.
Not even fire, nor any panther, is quite as shameless.
Women's Leader
You seem to understand this, but still you keep on fighting.
It's possible, bad man, to have our lasting friendship.
Men's Leader
I'll never cease to loathe the female sex!
Women's Leader
That's up to you, I guess. But meanwhile I don't like
this sight of you undressed. Just look at you, how silly!
I simply must come over and put your shirt back on.
Men's Leader
By god, I'd have to say that's no bad thing you did.
And now I'm sorry I took it off before, in anger.
Women's Leader
And now you look like a man again, and not so comic.
And if you hadn't been so hostile, I'd have removed
that bug in your eye, which I can see is still in there.
Men's Leader
So that's what's been rubbing me the wrong way. Here's my ring.
Please dig it out of my eye, and then I want to see it.
By god, that thing's been biting at my eye a long time.
Women's Leader
You're very welcome. Stand still! What a grumpy man!
Great gods, it's huge thing, a genuinely king-sized gnat.
And there it comes. Look at it. Isn't it Brobdingnagian?⁶⁹
Men's Leader
You've helped me out a lot. That thing's been digging wells.
And now that it's removed, my eyes are streaming tears.
Women's Leader
There, there, you naughty man, I'll wipe your tears away,
and kiss you.
Men's Leader
I don't want a kiss!
Women's Leader
I'll kiss you anyway!
Men's Leader
You got me, damn you. Women know how to get what they want.
That ancient adage puts it well and sums it up:
women are bad, you can't live with 'em, you can't live without 'em.
But now let's have a truce. We promise never again
to flout you; and you promise never again to hit us.
So now let's get together and sing a happy song!