莎乐美︰让我吻您的嘴。
约翰︰诅咒妳！乱伦母亲的女儿，妳将受到诅咒！
莎乐美︰我要吻您的嘴。
约翰︰我不愿再见到妳。我不要再见到妳，妳是受诅咒的人，莎乐美，妳是受诅咒的人。
〔他走下水井〕
莎乐美︰我要吻你的嘴，约翰；我要吻你的嘴。
第一士兵︰我们要将尸体埋在其它地方。陛下不介意见到尸体，除非那些人是他自己亲手所弒。
希罗底的侍从︰他是我的兄弟，而且比我的兄弟更亲近。我曾送他一瓶小香水，以及他手上一直戴着的玛瑙指环。在晚上我们一起顺着河流走过，一起穿过杏仁树下，他会告诉我他故乡的事情。他的语调很低，好像笛音，好像吹笛的声音一样。他特别喜欢在溪流中顾影自怜。我常常因此而叱责他。
第二士兵︰你说的对；我们一定要将尸体藏匿。陛下不应该见到。
第一士兵︰陛下不会到这儿来。他从未来到阳台。他非常惧怕先知。
〔希律王，希罗底，以及所有廷臣上〕
希律王︰莎乐美在哪里？公主在哪里？为何她不遵照我的要求，回到宴席上？啊！她在那里！
希罗底︰你不能看着她！你总是在看着她！
希律王︰今晚月色十分怪异。不是吗？她就像是位疯狂的女士，一位四处寻找爱人的疯狂女人。她赤裸。她全身赤裸。云层想要为她遮掩，但她不接受。她高挂在天上展现自己。如同酒醉的女人，她在薄云之间踉跄游移……我确信她正找寻着爱人。她是否如醉客一般地摇晃呢？她是否如疯狂的女人呢？
希罗底︰不；月亮只像月亮，不过如此。我们进去吧……在这儿没什么事。
希律王︰我要待在这儿！马那色（Manasseh），将轿子放到那儿去。举火，搬象牙桌与白玉椅来。这儿的空气相当可口。我要在此与宾客共同欢饮。我们要向西泽的使者展现我们的荣耀。
希罗底︰你并不是为了大使才愿意待在这里。
希律王︰是；空气相当可口。来吧，希罗底，客人正在等着我们。啊！我滑倒了！我踏到血渍而滑倒了！不吉利的征兆。邪恶的征兆。为何有这滩血呢？……还有尸体，为什么有尸体在这儿？你们难道以为我是埃及的国王，招待宾客不以飨宴而用尸体吗？这是谁？我不要看他的脸。
第一士兵︰那是我们的队长，陛下。他是个年轻的叙利亚青年，您在三年前升任他为队长。
希律王︰我并未下令杀死他。
第二士兵︰他是自杀的，陛下。
希律王︰什么原因？他是我所任命的队长。
第二士兵︰我们不知道，陛下。但他是自杀的。
希律王︰我听来相当奇怪。我以为只有罗马哲学家才会自裁。是这样吗，提格利奴斯，罗马的哲学家会自裁吗？
提格利奴斯︰有些人的确会自裁，陛下。他们是禁欲主义派（Stoics）。禁欲主义者是行尸走肉。他们是群可笑的人。我自己认定他们是全然地荒唐无稽。
希律王︰我同意。自杀是可笑的行为。
提格利奴斯︰所有在罗马的人都嘲笑他们。皇帝曾撰文讽刺他们。这文章广为流传。
希律王︰啊！他曾撰文讽刺他们？西泽真了不起。他什么事都办得到……这位年轻叙利亚军官的自杀十分怪异。我为他的自杀感到难过。我非常遗憾；因为他外表堂正。他的相貌俊秀。他有只忧郁的眼睛。我记得曾经见到他忧郁地望着莎乐美。显然地，他过份地注视着她了。
希罗底︰还有另一个人也是过份地注视着她。
希律王︰他的父亲是位国王。我将他从他的王国中驱逐。而妳让他原为王后的母亲成为奴隶，希罗底。所以他现在是我们的贵客，应该说曾经是，正因如此我任他为我的队长。我很遗憾他已经身故。呵！你们为什么将尸体留在这儿？我不想看到——尽快带走！〔他们将尸体搬走。〕这儿有点冷。有风在吹动。妳有没有感觉到呢？
SALOME
Suffer me to kiss thy mouth.
IOKANAAN
Cursed be thou! daughter of an incestuous mother, be thou accursed!
SALOME
I will kiss thy mouth, Iokanaan.
IOKANAAN
I will not look at thee. Thou art accursed, Salome, thou art accursed. [He goes down into the cistern.]
SALOME
I will kiss thy mouth, Iokanaan; I will kiss thy mouth.
FIRST SOLDIER
We must bear away the body to another place. The Tetrarch does not care to see dead bodies, save the bodies of those whom he himself has slain.
THE PAGE OF HERODIAS
He was my brother, and nearer to me than a
-27-
brother. I gave him a little box full of perfumes, and a ring of agate that he wore always on his hand. In the evening we were wont to walk by the river, and among the almond-trees, and he used to tell me of the things of his country. He spake ever very low. The sound of his voice was like the sound of the flute, of one who playeth upon the flute. Also he had much joy to gaze at himself in the river. I used to reproach him for that.
SECOND SOLDIER
You are right; we must hide the body. The Tetrarch must not see it.
FIRST SOLDIER
The Tetrarch will not come to this place. He never comes on the terrace. He is too much afraid of the prophet.
[Enter Herod, Herodias, and all the Court.]
HEROD
Where is Salome? Where is the Princess? Why did she not return to the banquet as I commanded her? Ah! there she is!
HERODIAS
You must not look at her! You are always looking at her!
HEROD
The moon has a strange look to-night. Has
-28-
she not a strange look? She is like a mad woman, a mad woman who is seeking everywhere for lovers. She is naked too. She is quite naked. The clouds are seeking to clothe her nakedness, but she will not let them. She shows herself naked in the sky. She reels through the clouds like a drunken woman . . . . I am sure she is looking for lovers. Does she not reel like a drunken woman? She is like a mad woman, is she not?
HERODIAS
No; the moon is like the moon, that is all, Let us go within . . . . We have nothing to do here.
HEROD
I will stay here! Manasseh, lay carpets there. Light torches. Bring forth the ivory tables, and the tables of jasper. The air here is sweet. I will drink more wine with my guests. We must show all honours to the ambassadors of C?sar.
HERODIAS
It is not because of them that you remain.
HEROD
Yes; the air is very sweet. Come, Herodias, our guests await us. Ah! I have slipped! I have slipped in blood! It is an ill omen. It is a very ill omen. Wherefore is there blood here? . . . and this body, what does this body here?
-29-
Think you I am like the King of Egypt, who gives no feast to his guests but that he shows them a corpse? Whose is it? I will not look on it.
FIRST SOLDIER
It is our captain, sire. It is the young Syrian whom you made captain of the guard but three days gone.
HEROD
I issued no order that he should be slain.
SECOND SOLDIER
He slew himself, sire.
HEROD
For what reason? I had made him captain of my guard!
SECOND SOLDIER
We do not know, sire. But with his own hand he slew himself.
HEROD
That seems strange to me. I had thought it was but the Roman philosophers who slew themselves. Is it not true, Tigellinus, that the philosophers at Rome slay themselves?
TIGELLINUS
There be some who slay themselves, sire. They are the Stoics. The Stoics are people of no cultivation.
-30-
They are ridiculous people. I myself regard them as being perfectly ridiculous.
HEROD
I also. It is ridiculous to kill ones-self.
TIGELLINUS
Everybody at Rome laughs at them. The Emperor has written a satire against them. It is recited everywhere.
HEROD
Ah! he has written a satire against them? C?sar is wonderful. He can do everything. . . . It is strange that the young Syrian has slain himself. I am sorry he has slain himself. I am very sorry. For he was fair to look upon. He was even very fair. He had very languorous eyes. I remember that I saw that he looked languorously at Salome. Truly, I thought he looked too much at her.
HERODIAS
There are others who look too much at her.
HEROD
His father was a king. I drave him from his kingdom. And of his mother, who was a queen, you made a slave, Herodias. So he was here as my guest, as it were, and for that reason I made him my captain. I am sorry he is dead. Ho! why have you left the body here? It must be taken to some other place. I will not look at it, -- away with it!
-31-
[They take away the body.]
It is cold here. There is a wind blowing. Is there not a wind blowing?