希律王︰不，不行！
希罗底︰说的好，我的女儿。
希律王︰不，不行，莎乐美。妳不能做这项要求。不要听妳母亲的话。她只会给妳最邪恶的建议。不要理她。
莎乐美︰我并不是为我的母亲。这是我所喜悦的，所以我要求将约翰的头装到银盘里。您立过誓，希律。请不要忘记您立过誓约。
希律王︰我知道。我以我的神立誓。我知道得非常清楚。但我恳求妳，莎乐美，要求其它东西。向我要求我王国的一半，然后我就会给妳。但不要对我提出这项要求。
莎乐美︰我请求您给我约翰的头。
希律王︰不，不行，我不希望这样。
莎乐美︰您立过誓，希律。
希罗底︰没错，你立过誓约。每个人都听见了。你在所有人面前立誓。
希律王︰住口！我不与妳说话。
希罗底︰我的女儿所提的要求太好了。约翰完完全全地侮辱了我。他用恶毒的言词来诽谤我。每个人都了解她多么爱她的母亲。别让步，我的女儿。他立过誓，他立过誓。
希律王︰住口，不要和我说话！……冷静下来，莎乐美，请保持理智。我从未苛待过妳。我一直爱着妳……可能是我爱妳爱得太多。请不要逼我。太可怕了，简直是太可怕了。自然地，我认为妳在说笑。看一个人的头颅从他的身体砍离开来，实在太过于病态了，不是吗？一个处女的眼睛，不应见到这般残酷的景象。妳为何对此感到喜悦？完全没有。不，不行，这并不是妳所渴望的。仔细听我说。我有绿宝石，一颗巨大的绿宝石，是由西泽的一位宠臣所送的。如果透过这颗宝石望过去，妳可以清楚见到远方的景物。西泽本人去观赏杂技表演时，也带着一颗绿宝石。但我这颗宝石更大。我知道这颗宝石比西泽的宝石更大。那是世界上最大的一颗绿宝石。妳会喜欢的，不是吗？向我要求这颗绿宝石，我就会给妳。
莎乐美︰我要约翰的头。
希律王︰妳根本没听进我说的话。妳没在听。请妳听我说，莎乐美。
莎乐美︰约翰的头。
希律王︰不，不行，妳不能这样做。妳令我十分困扰，因为我整晚都看着妳。真的，我整晚都在看着妳。妳的美丽令我困扰。妳的美丽令我痛苦地困扰，我看妳看得太过分了。但我再也不敢看着妳。人不应该看着一个东西，或看着另一个人太多。人只应该看着镜中的影像，因为镜中的影像向我们展现它的假面具。噢！噢！给我酒！我渴了……莎乐美呀，莎乐美，让我们好好地谈谈。过来！……啊！我该说什么呢？怎么回事？啊！我想起来了……莎乐美——不，靠近我；我怕妳听不清楚——莎乐美，妳知道我的白色孔雀，我美丽的白色孔雀，那群在我花园的长春花与桧树丛间昂然行走的孔雀。它们嘴上挂着金饰，而饲养它们的谷米中也掺着金粉，它们的脚染成紫色。当它们啼叫时天就下雨，当月亮高挂于天空时它们就展开灿烂的尾巴。它们两两成对，漫步在桧树与黑色长春花之间，每只孔雀都有奴隶在后看顾。有时它们飞越树丛，不久之后又卷卧草坪，并环绕湖畔。在这世上没有比它们更美丽的鸟儿。在这世上没有任何一个国王拥有这么多美丽的鸟儿。我确信西泽本人也没有如此漂亮的鸟。我会给妳五十只孔雀。无论妳走到哪里，它们都会跟着妳，在它们的簇拥之下，妳就会像是白云之间的月亮……我全都给妳。我有一百只，世上再也没有国王拥有这样多数的孔雀。不过我全都给妳。只求妳别让我违反誓言，不要再要求妳刚刚所提出的东西。
〔他将酒一饮而尽。〕
莎乐美︰给我约翰的头。
希罗底︰说的好，我的女儿！至于你呀，那群孔雀又有什么了不得。
希律王︰闭嘴！妳总是抱怨；妳像是只野兽在旁不断猛吠。妳要适可而止。我十分厌恶妳的声音。别再说话，我说……莎乐美，请想想妳现在在做什么。这个男人可能是从神那儿来的。他是个圣人。神的手指碰触了他。神利用他的嘴巴说出可怕的事。在宫殿里，在沙漠中，神总是伴着他……至少这是可能的。我们不知道。很有可能神是为着他，伴随着他。更进一步地，如果他死了，某种不幸的命运将降临我的头上。无论如何，他说总是会有一个人将因不幸而死亡。那指的可能就是我。记不记得，我走到这里时踩到血渍而滑了一跤。另外，我还听到空中有翅膀振动的声音，一群巨大的羽翼。这些都是不祥的征兆。我相信还有其它我没见到的恶兆。好，莎乐美，妳不会希望见到我遭到不幸的事吧？妳不希望如此。那么，请听我的话。
莎乐美︰给我约翰的头。
HEROD
No, no!
HERODIAS
That is well said, my daughter.
HEROD
No, no, Salome. It is not that thou desirest. Do not listen to thy mothers voice. She is ever giving thee evil counsel. Do not heed her.
SALOME
It is not my mothers voice that I heed. It is for mine own pleasure that I ask the head of Iokanaan in a silver charger. You have sworn an oath, Herod. Forget not that you have sworn an oath.
HEROD
I know it. I have sworn an oath by my gods. I know it well. But. I pray thee, Salome, ask of me something else. Ask of me the half of my kingdom, and I will give it thee. But ask not of me what thy lips have asked.
SALOME
I ask of you the head of Iokanaan.
HEROD
No, no, I will not give it thee.
SALOME
You have sworn an oath, Herod.
HERODIAS
Yes, you have sworn an oath. Everybody heard you. You swore it before everybody.
HEROD
Peace, woman! It is not to you I speak.
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HERODIAS
My daughter has done well to ask the head of Iokanaan. He has covered me with insults. He has said unspeakable things against me. One can see that she loves her mother well. Do not yield, my daughter. He has sworn an oath, he has sworn an oath.
HEROD
Peace! Speak not to me! . . . Salome, I pray thee be not stubborn. I have ever been kind toward thee. I have ever loved thee. . . It may be that I have loved thee too much. Therefore ask not this thing of me. This is a terrible thing, an awful thing to ask of me. Surely, I think thou art jesting. The head of a man that is cut from his body is ill to look upon, is it not? It is not meet that the eyes of a virgin should look upon such a thing. What pleasure couldst thou have in it? There is no pleasure that thou couldst have in it. No, no, it is not that thou desirest. Hearken to me. I have an emerald, a great emerald and round, that the minion of C?sar has sent unto me. When thou lookest through this emerald thou canst see that which passeth afar off. C?sar himself carries such an emerald when he goes to the circus. But my emerald is the larger. I know well that it is the larger. It is the largest emerald in the whole world. Thou wilt take that, wilt thou not? Ask it of me and I will give it thee.
SALOME
I demand the head of Iokanaan.
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HEROD
Thou art not listening. Thou art not listening. Suffer me to speak, Salome.
SALOME
The head of Iokanaan!
HEROD
No, no, thou wouldst not have that. Thou sayest that but to trouble me, because that I have looked at thee and ceased not this night. It is true, I have looked at thee and ceased not this night. Thy beauty has troubled me. Thy beauty has grievously troubled me, and I have looked at thee overmuch. Nay, but I will look at thee no more. One should not look at anything. Neither at things, nor at people should one look. Only in mirrors is it well to look, for mirrors do but show us masks. Oh! oh! bring wine! I thirst . . . . Salome, Salome, let us be as friends. Bethink thee . . . Ah! what would I say? What wast? Ah! I remember it! . . . Salome, -- nay but come nearer to me; I fear thou wilt not hear my words, -- Salome, thou knowest my white peacocks, my beautiful white peacocks, that walk in the garden between the myrtles and the tall cypress-trees. Their beaks are gilded with gold and the grains that they eat are smeared with gold, and their feet are stained with purple. When they cry out the rain comes, and the moon shows herself in the heavens when they spread their tails. Two by two they walk between the cypress-trees and the black
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myrtles, and each has a slave to tend it. Sometimes they fly across the trees, and anon they couch in the grass, and round the pools of the water. There are not in all the world birds so wonderful. I know that C?sar himself has no birds so fair as my birds. I will give thee fifty of my peacocks. They will follow thee whithersoever thou goest, and in the midst of them thou wilt be like unto the moon in the midst of a great white cloud . . . . I will give them to thee, all. I have but a hundred, and in the whole world there is no king who has peacocks like unto my peacocks. But I will give them all to thee. Only thou must loose me from my oath, and must not ask of me that which thy lips have asked of me.
[He empties the cup of wine.]
SALOME
Give me the head of Iokanaan!
HERODIAS
Well said, my daughter! As for you, you are ridiculous with your peacocks.
HEROD
Peace! you are always crying out. You cry out like a beast of prey. You must not cry in such fashion. Your voice wearies me. Peace, I tell you! . . . Salome, think on what thou art doing. It may be that this man comes from God. He is a holy man. The finger of God has touched him. God
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has put terrible words into his mouth. In the palace, as in the desert, God is ever with him . . . . It may be that He is, at least. One cannot tell, but it is possible that God is with him and for him. If he die also, peradventure some evil may befall me. Verily, he has said that evil will befall some one on the day whereon he dies. On whom should it fall if it fall not on me? Remember, I slipped in blood when I came hither. Also did I not hear a beating of wings in the air, a beating of vast wings? These are ill omens. And there were other things. I am sure that there were other things, though I saw them not. Thou wouldst not that some evil should befall me, Salome? Listen to me again.
SALOME
Give me the head of Iokanaan!