希律王︰不，不行！
希羅底︰說的好，我的女兒。
希律王︰不，不行，莎樂美。妳不能做這項要求。不要聽妳母親的話。她只會給妳最邪惡的建議。不要理她。
莎樂美︰我並不是為我的母親。這是我所喜悅的，所以我要求將約翰的頭裝到銀盤裡。您立過誓，希律。請不要忘記您立過誓約。
希律王︰我知道。我以我的神立誓。我知道得非常清楚。但我懇求妳，莎樂美，要求其它東西。向我要求我王國的一半，然後我就會給妳。但不要對我提出這項要求。
莎樂美︰我請求您給我約翰的頭。
希律王︰不，不行，我不希望這樣。
莎樂美︰您立過誓，希律。
希羅底︰沒錯，你立過誓約。每個人都聽見了。你在所有人面前立誓。
希律王︰住口！我不與妳說話。
希羅底︰我的女兒所提的要求太好了。約翰完完全全地侮辱了我。他用惡毒的言詞來誹謗我。每個人都了解她多麼愛她的母親。別讓步，我的女兒。他立過誓，他立過誓。
希律王︰住口，不要和我說話！ ……冷靜下來，莎樂美，請保持理智。我從未苛待過妳。我一直愛著妳……可能是我愛妳愛得太多。請不要逼我。太可怕了，簡直是太可怕了。自然地，我認為妳在說笑。看一個人的頭顱從他的身體砍離開來，實在太過於病態了，不是嗎？一個處女的眼睛，不應見到這般殘酷的景象。妳為何對此感到喜悅？完全沒有。不，不行，這並不是妳所渴望的。仔細聽我說。我有綠寶石，一顆巨大的綠寶石，是由西澤的一位寵臣所送的。如果透過這顆寶石望過去，妳可以清楚見到遠方的景物。西澤本人去觀賞雜技表演時，也帶著一顆綠寶石。但我這顆寶石更大。我知道這顆寶石比西澤的寶石更大。那是世界上最大的一顆綠寶石。妳會喜歡的，不是嗎？向我要求這顆綠寶石，我就會給妳。
莎樂美︰我要約翰的頭。
希律王︰妳根本沒聽進我說的話。妳沒在聽。請妳聽我說，莎樂美。
莎樂美︰約翰的頭。
希律王︰不，不行，妳不能這樣做。妳令我十分困擾，因為我整晚都看著妳。真的，我整晚都在看著妳。妳的美麗令我困擾。妳的美麗令我痛苦地困擾，我看妳看得太過分了。但我再也不敢看著妳。人不應該看著一個東西，或看著另一個人太多。人只應該看著鏡中的影像，因為鏡中的影像向我們展現它的假面具。噢！噢！給我酒！我渴了……莎樂美呀，莎樂美，讓我們好好地談談。過來！ ……啊！我該說什麼呢？怎麼回事？啊！我想起來了……莎樂美——不，靠近我；我怕妳聽不清楚——莎樂美，妳知道我的白色孔雀，我美麗的白色孔雀，那群在我花園的長春花與檜樹叢間昂然行走的孔雀。它們嘴上掛著金飾，而飼養牠們的穀米中也摻著金粉，它們的腳染成紫色。當它們啼叫時天就下雨，當月亮高掛於天空時它們就展開燦爛的尾巴。它們兩兩成對，漫步在檜樹與黑色長春花之間，每隻孔雀都有奴隸在後看顧。有時它們飛越樹叢，不久之後又卷臥草坪，並環繞湖畔。在這世上沒有比它們更美麗的鳥兒。在這世上沒有任何一個國王擁有這麼多美麗的鳥兒。我確信西澤本人也沒有如此漂亮的鳥。我會給妳五十隻孔雀。無論妳走到哪裡，它們都會跟著妳，在它們的簇擁之下，妳就會像是白雲之間的月亮……我全都給妳。我有一百隻，世上再也沒有國王擁有這樣多數的孔雀。不過我全都給妳。只求妳別讓我違反誓言，不要再要求妳剛剛所提出的東西。
〔他將酒一飲而盡。 〕
莎樂美︰給我約翰的頭。
希羅底︰說的好，我的女兒！至於你呀，那群孔雀又有什麼了不得。
希律王︰閉嘴！妳總是抱怨；妳像是隻野獸在旁不斷猛吠。妳要適可而止。我十分厭惡妳的聲音。別再說話，我說……莎樂美，請想想妳現在在做什麼。這個男人可能是從神那兒來的。他是個聖人。神的手指碰觸了他。神利用他的嘴巴說出可怕的事。在宮殿裡，在沙漠中，神總是伴著他……至少這是可能的。我們不知道。很有可能神是為著他，伴隨著他。更進一步地，如果他死了，某種不幸的命運將降臨我的頭上。無論如何，他說總是會有一個人將因不幸而死亡。那指的可能就是我。記不記得，我走到這裡時踩到血漬而滑了一跤。另外，我還聽到空中有翅膀振動的聲音，一群巨大的羽翼。這些都是不祥的徵兆。我相信還有其它我沒見到的惡兆。好，莎樂美，妳不會希望見到我遭到不幸的事吧？妳不希望如此。那麼，請聽我的話。
莎樂美︰給我約翰的頭。
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 gi ve 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 ou t 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!