約翰︰所多瑪之女，不准靠近我！罩上妳的面紗，讓風沙塵埃吹拂，到沙漠裡去找尋上帝的兒子。
莎樂美︰那是誰，上帝的兒子？他像您一樣漂亮嗎，約翰？
約翰︰讓開！我聽到宮廷裡響起死亡天使振翅的聲音。
年輕敘利亞軍官︰公主，我求您不要再過去了。
約翰︰上帝的天使，你們為何帶劍來此？你們來這骯髒的宮廷裡尋找誰？那位身穿紫袍者的死期尚未來臨。
莎樂美︰約翰！
約翰︰是誰在說話？
莎樂美︰約翰，我渴望您的身體！您的身體就像園裡從未染塵的百合。您的身體就像山中的雪一樣潔白，就像猶太山上的雪，從山谷中流到平原。阿拉伯皇后花園裡的玫瑰，都不及您身體的白晢。阿拉伯的玫瑰，阿拉伯的香料，落日時的餘輝，海面上月亮的吸呼……這一切都比不上您身子冰潔的萬一。讓我撫摸您的身體。
約翰︰退下！巴比倫之女！世間最邪惡的女人。不准再對我說話。我不再聽妳說話。我只聽主的聲音。
莎樂美︰您的身體太可怕了，像痲瘋病人。像是受到毒蛇於其上橫爬穿刺；像是蝎子於其上築巢而居。像是所有一切令人作嘔物事的白色墳墓。太可怕了，您的身子太可怕了。是您的頭髮令我迷戀無法自拔，約翰。您的頭髮像是串葡萄，就像是以東（Edom）葡萄園裡垂下的串串黑色葡萄。您的頭髮像黎巴嫩（Lebanon）的杉樹，像是黎巴嫩的巨大杉木，樹影可容獅子休憩，可以讓強盜在白晝躲藏。漫漫長夜，當月亮隱藏她的臉龐，當眾星消失，但這一切都不黑暗。在世上沒有任何東西比得上您頭髮的黑沈……讓我撫摸您的頭髮。
約翰︰退下，所多瑪之女！不准碰我。不准污衊主的頭顱。
莎樂美︰您的頭髮太可怕了，上頭沾滿了泥巴與灰塵。像是戴在您額前的可笑皇冠。像是盤繞在脖子上的一段段黑色小蛇。我不愛您的頭髮……我想要的是您的嘴唇，約翰。您的嘴唇彷彿是像牙高塔上的一段紅帶。彷彿是由象牙刀所切出來的石榴。泰爾（Tyre）園裡盛開的石榴花，比玫瑰更顯鮮紅，但卻相形失色。國王警蹕的喇叭聲，令敵人膽寒，但卻相形失色。您的嘴唇比起踩在釀酒桶上的腳要來得鮮紅。您的嘴唇比起出沒於神廟上鴿子的腳要來得鮮紅。它比起從林中走出的屠獅者的腳要來得鮮紅。您的嘴唇像是漁夫在破曉的海上所尋獲的血紅珊瑚，那些只貢奉給國王的血紅珊瑚！ ……它就像是莫比（Moab）人在礦場中挖出的硃砂，那些只貢奉給國王的硃砂。它就像是波斯國王的領結，以硃砂染色，再以珊瑚嵌飾而成。在這世上沒有任何東西比得上您鮮紅的嘴唇……讓我吻您的嘴。
約翰︰不行！巴比倫之女！所多瑪之女！不行。
莎樂美︰我要吻您的嘴，約翰。我要吻您的嘴。
年輕敘利亞軍官︰公主，公主，您就像園中之香，高貴之主，不要看這個人，不要看他！不要對他說這種話。我再也受不了……公主，公主，請不要再說了。
莎樂美︰我要吻您的嘴，約翰。
年輕敘利亞軍官︰啊！
〔他舉刀自裁，倒在莎樂美與約翰之間〕
希羅底的侍從︰這位年輕的敘利亞軍官自殺了！這位年輕的敘利亞軍官自殺了！他殺了我的朋友！我曾送他小一瓶香水與白銀加工的耳環，現在他自殺了。啊，他不是已經預言將要發生不幸的事嗎？我，也曾預言過，將有不幸的事要發生。我知道月亮正尋求一件死亡的生命，但我不知道月亮要找的人竟然是他。啊！為何我不事先將他藏起來呢？如果我先將他藏在山洞裡，月亮就找不到他了。
第一士兵︰公主，隊長已經自殺了。
莎樂美︰讓我吻您的嘴，約翰。
約翰︰妳不害怕嗎，希羅底的女兒？我不是告訴過妳，我聽到宮廷裡有死亡天使振翅的聲音，他不是已經來臨了嗎，那死亡天使？
莎樂美︰讓我吻您的嘴。
約翰︰淫蕩的女兒，只有一個人能夠解救妳，那就是我說過的那一位。去找他吧。他正在加利利海的船上，他帶著他的學徒而來。跪在岸上，稱他的名字。當他來臨時，跪在他的腳邊，請求他赦免妳的罪。
IOKANAAN
Daughter of Sodom, come not near me! But cover thy face with a veil, and scatter ashes upon thine head, and get thee to the desert, and seek out the Son of Man.
SALOME
Who is he, the Son of Man? Is he as beautiful as thou art, Iokanaan?
IOKANAAN
Get thee behind me! I hear in the palace the beating of the wings of the angel of death.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Princess, I beseech thee to go within.
IOKANAAN
Angel of the Lord God, what dost thou here with thy sword? Whom seekest thou in this palace? The day of him who shall die in a robe of silver has not yet come.
SALOME
Iokanaan!
IOKANAAN
Who speaketh?
SALOME
I am amorous of thy body, Iokanaan! Thy body is white, like the lilies of a field that the
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mower hath never mowed. Thy body is white like the snows that lie on the mountains of Jud?a, and come down into the valleys. The roses in the garden of the Queen of Arabia are not so white as thy body. Neither the roses of the garden of the Queen of Arabia, the garden of spices of the Queen of Arabia, nor the feet of the dawn when they light on the leaves, nor the breast of the moon when she lies on the breast of the sea . . . . There is nothing in the world so white as thy body. Suffer me to touch thy body.
IOKANAAN
Back! daughter of Babylon! By woman came evil into the world. Speak not to me. I will not listen to thee. I listen but to the voice of the Lord God.
SALOME
Thy body is hideous. It is like the body of a leper. It is like a plastered wall, where vipers have crawled; like a plastered wall where the scorpions have made their nest. It is like a whited sepulchre, full of loathsome things. It is horrible, thy body is horrible. It is of thy hair that I am enamoured, Iokanaan. Thy hair is like clusters of grapes, like the clusters of black grapes that hang from the vine-trees of Edom in the land of the Edomites. Thy hair is like the cedars of Lebanon, like the great cedars of Lebanon that give their shade to the lions and to the robbers who would hide them by day. The long black
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nights, when the moon hides her face, when the stars are afraid, are not so black as thy hair. The silence that dwells in the forest is not so black. There is nothing in the world that is so black as thy hair . . . . Suffer me to touch thy hair.
IOKANAAN
Back, daughter of Sodom! Touch me not. Profane not the temple of the Lord God.
SALOME
Thy hair is horrible. It is covered with mire and dust. It is like a crown of thorns placed on thy head. It is like a knot of serpents coiled round thy neck. I love not thy hair . . . . It is thy mouth that I desire, Iokanaan. Thy mouth is like a band of scarlet on a tower of ivory. It is like a pomegranate cut in twain with a knife of ivory. The pomegranate flowers that blossom in the gardens of Tyre, and are redder than roses, are not so red. The red blasts of trumpets that herald the approach of kings, and make afraid the enemy, are not so red. Thy mouth is redder than the feet of those who tread the wine in the wine-press. It is redder than the feet of the doves who inhabit the temples and are fed by the priests. It is redder than the feet of him who cometh from a forest where he hath slain a lion, and seen gilded tigers. Thy mouth is like a branch of coral that fishers have found in the twilight of the sea, the coral that they keep for the kings! . . . It is like the
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vermilion that the Moahites find in the mines of Moab, the vermilion that the kings take from them. It is like the bow of the King of the Persians, that is painted with vermilion, and is tipped with coral. There is nothing in the world so red as thy mouth . . . . Suffer me to kiss thy mouth.
IOKANAAN
Never! daughter of Babylon! Daughter of Sodom! never!
SALOME
I will kiss thy mouth, Iokanaan. I will kiss thy mouth.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Princess, Princess, thou who art like a garden of myrrh, thou who art the dove of all doves, look not at this man, look not at him! Do not speak such words to him. I cannot endure it. . . Princess, do not speak these things.
SAL0ME
I will kiss thy mouth, Iokanaan.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Ah! [He kills himself, and falls between Salome and lokanaan.]
THE PAGE OF HERODIAS
The young Syrian has slain himself! The
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young captain has slain himself! He has slain himself who was my friend! I gave him a little box of perfumes and ear-rings wrought in silver, and now he has killed himself! Ah, did he not say that some misfortune would happen? I, too, said it, and it has come to pass. Well I knew that the moon was seeking a dead thing, but I knew not that it was he whom she sought. Ah! why did I not hide him from the moon? If I had hidden him in a cavern she would not have seen him.
FIRST SOLDIER
Princess, the young captain has just slain himself.
SALOME
Suffer me to kiss thy mouth, Iokanaan.
IOKANAAN
Art thou not afraid, daughter of Herodias? Did I not tell thee that I had heard in the palace the beating of the wings of the angel of death, and hath he not come, the angel of death?
SALOME
Suffer me to kiss thy mouth.
IOKANAAN
Daughter of adultery, there is but one who can save thee. It is He of whom I spake. Go seek Him. He is in a boat on the sea of Galilee, and He
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talketh with His disciples. Kneel down on the shore of the sea, and call unto Him by His name. When He cometh to thee, and to all who call on Him He cometh, bow thyself at His feet and ask of Him the remission of thy sins.