希羅底︰不；沒有風。
希律王︰我說有風吹拂……我還聽到空中有翅膀拍動的聲音，就像是一對巨大羽翼的振動。妳聽到了嗎？
希羅底︰我沒聽到。
希律王︰我現在聽不到。不過我剛剛聽見了。毫無疑問，就是由於翅膀振動而引起那股風。它已經遠離。不對，我又聽見了。妳沒聽到嗎？就像是翅膀拍動的聲音。
希羅底︰我告訴你，沒有什麼東西在動。你病了。我們進去室內吧。
希律王︰我沒有病。是妳的女兒病了。她面露病容。我從未見過她如此蒼白。
希羅底︰我告訴過你不要看著她。
希律王︰斟酒。 〔酒送來。 〕莎樂美，來和我一起喝點酒。我這兒有些高級的酒。西澤本人送來的好酒。將幾滴酒倒入妳的紅唇裡，而我則是一口乾杯。
莎樂美︰我不渴，陛下。
希律王︰妳聽到她如何回答我的話嗎，妳的女兒？
希羅底︰帶水果來。 〔水果送來。 〕莎樂美，來和我吃些水果。我喜歡見妳的齒間咬著水果。輕咬一口，我會吃妳所留下的部分。
莎樂美︰我不餓，陛下。
希律王〔向希羅底〕︰妳看看，妳的女兒居然是這樣帶大的。
希羅底︰我的女兒和我出身貴族。而你，你的父親只不過是個趕駱駝的人。他還是個強盜！
希律王︰妳說謊！
希羅底︰你知道這是事實。
希律王︰莎樂美，過來坐在我身邊。我要賜予妳母親的寶座。
莎樂美︰我不累，陛下。
希羅底︰你瞧她對你的感覺。
希律王︰給我——我要什麼？我忘了。啊！啊！我想起來了。
約翰的聲音︰囉！時刻來臨了！我預言的事情，上帝所說的，將要實現。囉！我宣示的那一天來了。
希羅底︰叫他安靜！我不想听到這聲音。這個人不斷地對我施以侮蔑與誹謗。
希律王︰他不曾出言反對過妳。此外，他還是位偉大的先知。
希羅底︰我不信他是個先知。有人能夠預先宣布什麼事將發生嗎？永遠沒有人知道。更進一步地，他一直不斷侮辱我。但我認為你怕他……我清楚地知道你怕他。
希律王︰我對他毫無恐懼。我對任何人都不感恐懼。
希羅底︰我告訴你，你怕他。如果你不怕他的話，為何你不將他送給那群猶太人，卻讓他在這兒吵嚷了六個多月？
猶太人︰是的，王上，最好將他送到我們的手裡。
希律王︰這個話題談得夠多了。我早有了結論。我不會將他送到你們手裡。他是個聖人。他是見過神的人。
猶太人︰不可能。沒有人見過神，除了先知伊萊賈之外。他是最後一位見過神的人。這些日子以來神不再現身。祂隱藏了。因此大魔鬼來到了人間。
另一位猶太人︰的確，沒有人能夠知道先知伊萊賈是否真地見到了神。或許他只不過見到神的影子。
第三猶太人︰神無時無刻不隱身。祂無時無刻都現身。神也在被稱為惡的事物之中，即使祂本身是好的。
第四猶太人︰不能如此說。這是非常危險的學說。那是從亞歷山大城的學校傳來的學說，那兒的人就像希臘人一般地教授哲學。希臘人是異教徒。他們甚至未施過割禮。
第五猶太人︰沒有人能夠知道神是如何運作的。祂的道路非常神秘。可能我們稱為惡的事物卻是善的，而我們稱為善的事物卻是惡的。我們無法了解任何事。我們必須順從一切，因為神是強大的。祂可以輕易地摧毀我們稱為堅強的東西，因為祂並不重視任何人。
第一猶太人︰你說的對。神是可怕的；祂能摧毀堅強，而我們人類就像泥灰一般脆弱。但這個人絕對未曾見過神。自從先知伊萊賈之後，沒有人見過神。
HERODIAS
No; there is no wind.
HEROD
I tell you there is a wind that blows . . . . And I hear in the air something that is like the beating of wings, like the beating of vast wings. Do you not hear it?
HERODIAS
I hear nothing.
HEROD
I hear it no longer. But I heard it. It was the blowing of the wind. It has passed away. But no, I hear it again. Do you not hear it? It is just like a beating of wings.
HERODIAS
I tell you there is nothing. You are ill. Let us go within.
HEROD
I am not ill. It is your daughter who is sick to death. Never have I seen her so pale.
HERODIAS
I have told you not to look at her.
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HEROD
Pour me forth wine. [Wine is brought.]
Salome, come drink a little wine with me. I have here a wine that is exquisite. C?sar himself sent it me. Dip into it thy little red lips, that I may drain the cup.
SALOME
I am not thirsty, Tetrarch.
HEROD
You hear how she answers me, this daughter of yours?
HERODIAS
She does right. Why are you always gazing at her?
HEROD
Bring me ripe fruits. [Fruits are brought.]
Salome, come and eat fruits with me. I love to see in a fruit the mark of thy little teeth. Bite but a little of this fruit, that I may eat what is left.
SALOME
I am not hungry, Tetrarch.
HEROD
[To Herodias]
You see how you have brought up this daughter of yours.
HERODIAS
My daughter and I come of a royal race. As
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for thee, thy father was a camel driver! He was a thief and a robber to boot!
HEROD
Thou liest!
HERODIAS
Thou knowest well that it is true.
HEROD
Salome, come and sit next to me. I will give thee the throne of thy mother.
SALOME
I am not tired, Tetrarch.
HERODIAS
You see in what regard she holds you.
HEROD
Bring me -- What is it that I desire? I forget. Ah! ah! I remember.
THE VOICE OF IOKANAAN
Behold the time is come! That which I foretold has come to pass. The day that I spake of is at hand.
HERODIAS
Bid him be silent. I will not listen to his voice. This man is for ever hurling insults against me.
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HEROD
He has said nothing against you. Besides, he is a very great prophet.
HERODIAS
I do not believe in prophets. Can a man tell what will come to pass? No man knows it. Also he is for ever insulting me. But I think you are afraid of him . . . . I know well that you are afraid of him.
HEROD
I am not afraid of him. I am afraid of no man.
HERODIAS
I tell you you are afraid of him. If you are not afraid of him why do you not deliver him to the Jews who for these six months past have been clamouring for him?
A JEW
Truly, my lord, it were better to deliver him into our hands.
HEROD
Enough on this subject. I have already given you my answer. I will not deliver him into your hands. He is a holy man. He is a man who has seen God.
A JEW
That cannot be. There is no man who hath seen God since the prophet Elias. He is the last man
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who saw God face to face. In these days God doth not show Himself. God hideth Himself. Therefore great evils have come upon the land.
ANOTHER JEW
Verily, no man knoweth if Elias the prophet did indeed see God. Peradventure it was but the shadow of God that he saw.
A THIRD JEW
God is at no time hidden. He showeth Himself at all times and in all places. God is in what is evil even as He is in what is good.
A FOURTH JEW
Thou shouldst not say that. It is a very dangerous doctrine. It is a doctrine that cometh from Alexandria, where men teach the philosophy of the Greeks. And the Greeks are Gentiles. They are not even circumcised.
FIFTH JEW
No man can tell how God worketh. His ways are very dark. It may be that the things which we call evil are good, and that the things which we call good are evil. There is no knowledge of anything. We can but bow our heads to His will, for God is very strong. He breaketh in pieces the strong together with the weak, for He regardeth not any man.
FIRST JEW
Thou speakest truly. Verily, God is terrible.
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He breaketh in pieces the strong and the weak as men break corn in a mortar. But as for this man, he hath never seen God. No man hath seen God since the prophet Elias.