莎樂美︰讓我吻您的嘴。
約翰︰詛咒妳！亂倫母親的女兒，妳將受到詛咒！
莎樂美︰我要吻您的嘴。
約翰︰我不願再見到妳。我不要再見到妳，妳是受詛咒的人，莎樂美，妳是受詛咒的人。
〔他走下水井〕
莎樂美︰我要吻你的嘴，約翰；我要吻你的嘴。
第一士兵︰我們要將屍體埋在其它地方。陛下不介意見到屍體，除非那些人是他自己親手所弒。
希羅底的侍從︰他是我的兄弟，而且比我的兄弟更親近。我曾送他一瓶小香水，以及他手上一直戴著的瑪瑙指環。在晚上我們一起順著河流走過，一起穿過杏仁樹下，他會告訴我他故鄉的事情。他的語調很低，好像笛音，好像吹笛的聲音一樣。他特別喜歡在溪流中顧影自憐。我常常因此而叱責他。
第二士兵︰你說的對；我們一定要將屍體藏匿。陛下不應該見到。
第一士兵︰陛下不會到這兒來。他從未來到陽台。他非常懼怕先知。
〔希律王，希羅底，以及所有廷臣上〕
希律王︰莎樂美在哪裡？公主在哪裡？為何她不遵照我的要求，回到宴席上？啊！她在那裡！
希羅底︰你不能看著她！你總是在看著她！
希律王︰今晚月色十分怪異。不是嗎？她就像是位瘋狂的女士，一位四處尋找愛人的瘋狂女人。她赤裸。她全身赤裸。雲層想要為她遮掩，但她不接受。她高掛在天上展現自己。如同酒醉的女人，她在薄雲之間踉蹌游移……我確信她正找尋著愛人。她是否如醉客一般地搖晃呢？她是否如瘋狂的女人呢？
希羅底︰不；月亮只像月亮，不過如此。我們進去吧……在這兒沒什麼事。
希律王︰我要待在這兒！馬那色（Manasseh），將轎子放到那兒去。舉火，搬象牙桌與白玉椅來。這兒的空氣相當可口。我要在此與賓客共同歡飲。我們要向西澤的使者展現我們的榮耀。
希羅底︰你並不是為了大使才願意待在這裡。
希律王︰是；空氣相當可口。來吧，希羅底，客人正在等著我們。啊！我滑倒了！我踏到血漬而滑倒了！不吉利的徵兆。邪惡的徵兆。為何有這灘血呢？ ……還有屍體，為什麼有屍體在這兒？你們難道以為我是埃及的國王，招待賓客不以饗宴而用屍體嗎？這是誰？我不要看他的臉。
第一士兵︰那是我們的隊長，陛下。他是個年輕的敘利亞青年，您在三年前升任他為隊長。
希律王︰我並未下令殺死他。
第二士兵︰他是自殺的，陛下。
希律王︰什麼原因？他是我所任命的隊長。
第二士兵︰我們不知道，陛下。但他是自殺的。
希律王︰我聽來相當奇怪。我以為只有羅馬哲學家才會自裁。是這樣嗎，提格利奴斯，羅馬的哲學家會自裁嗎？
提格利奴斯︰有些人的確會自裁，陛下。他們是禁慾主義派（Stoics）。禁慾主義者是行屍走肉。他們是群可笑的人。我自己認定他們是全然地荒唐無稽。
希律王︰我同意。自殺是可笑的行為。
提格利奴斯︰所有在羅馬的人都嘲笑他們。皇帝曾撰文諷刺他們。這文章廣為流傳。
希律王︰啊！他曾撰文諷刺他們？西澤真了不起。他什麼事都辦得到……這位年輕敘利亞軍官的自殺十分怪異。我為他的自殺感到難過。我非常遺憾；因為他外表堂正。他的相貌俊秀。他有隻憂鬱的眼睛。我記得曾經見到他憂鬱地望著莎樂美。顯然地，他過份地註視著她了。
希羅底︰還有另一個人也是過份地註視著她。
希律王︰他的父親是位國王。我將他從他的王國中驅逐。而妳讓他原為王后的母親成為奴隸，希羅底。所以他現在是我們的貴客，應該說曾經是，正因如此我任他為我的隊長。我很遺憾他已經身故。呵！你們為什麼將屍體留在這兒？我不想看到——盡快帶走！ 〔他們將屍體搬走。 〕這兒有點冷。有風在吹動。妳有沒有感覺到呢？
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
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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
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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?
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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.
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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!
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[They take away the body.]
It is cold here. There is a wind blowing. Is there not a wind blowing?