happy. I am very happy. Have I not the right to be happy? Your daughter is going to dance for me. Will you not dance for me, Salom6? You have promised to dance for me.
Herodias I will not have her dance.
Salomé I will dance for you, Tetrarch.
Herod You hear what your daughter says. She is going to dance for me. You do well to dance for me, Salomé. And when you have danced for me, forget not to ask of me whatsoever you wish. Whatsoever you wish I will give it to you, even to the half of my kingdom. I have sworn it, have I not?
Salomé You have sworn it, Tetrarch.
Herod And I have never broken my word. I am not of those who break their oaths. I know not how to lie. I am the slave of my word, and my word is the word of a king. The King of Cappadocia always lies, but he is no true king. He is a coward. Also he owes me money that he will not repay. He has even insulted my ambassadors. He has spoken words that were wounding. But Caesar will crucify him when he comes to Rome. I am sure that Caesar will crucify him. And if not, yet will he die, and be eaten of worms. The prophet has prophesied it. Well! wherefore dost thou tarry, Salom6?
Salomé I am waiting for my slaves to bring me perfumes and the seven veils and to take off my sandals.
[Slaves bring perfumes and the seven veils and take off the sandals of Salomé.]
Herod Ah, you are going to dance with naked feet! Tis well! Tis well. Your little feet will be like white doves. They will be like little white flowers dancing on a tree. . . . No, no, she is going to dance on blood! There is blood spilt on the ground. She must not dance on blood. It were an evil omen.
Herodias What is it to you if she dance on blood? You have waded deep enough therein. . . .
Herod What is it to me? Ah! look at the moon! She has become red. She has become red as blood. Ah! the prophet prophesied truly. He prophesied that the moon would become red as blood. Did he not prophesy it? All of you heard him. And now the moon has become red as blood. Do you not see it?
Herodias Oh yes, I see it well, and the stars are falling like ripe figs, are they not? And the sun is becoming black like sackcloth of hair, and the kings of the earth are afraid. That at least one can see. The prophet, for once in his life, was right. The kings of the earth are afraid. . . . Let us go within. You are sick. They will say at Rome that you are mad. Let us go within, I tell you.
The Voice of Jokanaan Who is this who cometh from Edom, who is this who cometh from Bozra, whose raiment is dyed with purple, who shineth in the beauty of his garments, who walketh mighty in his greatness? Wherefore is thy raiment stained with scarlet?
Herodias Let us go within. The voice of that man maddens me. I will not have my daughter dance while he is continually crying out. I will not have her dance while you look at her in that fashion. In a word, I will not have her dance.
Herod Do not rise, my wife, my queen, it will avail thee nothing. I will not go within till she hath danced. Dance, Salomé, dance for me.
Herodias Do not dance, my daughter.
Salomé I am ready, Tetrarch.
[Salomé dances the dance of the seven veils.]
Herod Ah! wonderful! wonderful! You see that she has danced for me, your daughter. Come near, Salomé, come near, that I may give thee thy reward. Ah! I pay the dancers well. I will pay thee royally. I will give thee whatsoever thy soul desireth. What wouldst thou have? Speak.
Salomé [kneeling] I would that they presently bring me in a silver charger..,
Herod [laughing] In a silver charger? Surely yes, in a silver charger. She is charming, is she not? What is it you would have in a silver charger, O sweet and fair Salomé, you who are fairer than all the daughters of Judaea? What would you have them bring you in a silver charger? Tell me. Whatsoever it may be, they shall give it you. My treasures belong to you. What is it, Salomé?
Salomé [rising] The head of Jokanaan.
Herodias Ah! that is well said, my daughter.
Herod No, no!
Herodias That is well said, my daughter.
Herod No, no, Salomé. You do not ask me that. Do not listen to your mother’s voice. She is ever giving you evil counsel. Do not heed her,
Salomé I do not heed my mother. It is for mine own pleasure that I ask the head of Jokanaan in a silver charger. You have sworn, Herod. Forget not that you have sworn an oath.
Herod I know it. I have sworn by my gods. I know it well. But I pray you, Salomé, ask of me something else. Ask of me the half of my kingdom, and I will give it you. But ask not of me what you have asked.
Salomé I ask of you the head of Jokanaan.
Herod No, no, I do not wish it.
Salomé You have sworn, Herod.
Herodias Yes, you have sworn. Everybody heard you. You swore it before everybody.
Herod Be silent! It is not to you I speak.
Herodias My daughter has done well to ask the head of Jokanaan. He has covered me with insults. He has said monstrous things against me. One can see that she loves her mother well. Do not yield, my daughter. He has sworn, he has sworn.
Herod Be silent. Speak not to me! . . . Come, Salomé^ be reasonable. You will be reasonable, will you not? I have never been hard to you. I have ever loved you. . . . It may be that I have loved you too much. Therefore ask not this thing of me. This is a terrible thing, an awful thing to ask of me. Surely, I think you are 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 could you have in it? None. No, no, that is not what you desire. Hearken to me. I have an emerald, a great round emerald, which Caesar’s minion sent me. If you look through this emerald you can see things which happen at a great distance. Caesar himself carries such an emerald when he goes to the circus. But my emerald is larger. It is the largest emerald in the whole world. You would like that, would you not? Ask it of me and I will give it you.
Salomé I demand the head of Jokanaan.
Herod You are not listening. You are not listening. Suffer me to speak, Salomé.
Salomé The head of Jokanaan.
Herod No, no, you would not have that. You say that to trouble me, because I have looked at you all this evening. It is true I have looked at you all this evening. Your beauty troubled me. Your beauty has grievously troubled me, and I have looked at you too much. But I will look at you no more. Neither at things nor at people should one look. Only in mirrors should one look, for mirrors do but show us masks. Oh! oh! bring wine! I thirst. . . . Salomé, Salomé, let us be friends. Come now! . . . Ah! what would I say? What was it? Ah! I remember! . . . Salomé nay, but come nearer to me; I fear you will not hear me Salomé, you know 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 gilded with gold also, 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 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 lake. There are not in all the world birds so wonderful. There is no king in all the world who possesses such wonderful birds. I am sure that Caesar himself has no birds so fair as my birds. I will give you fifty of my peacocks. They will follow you whithersoever you go, and in the midst of them you will be like the moon in the midst of a great white cloud. . . . I will give them all to you. 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 you. Only you must loose me from my oath, and must not ask of me that which you have asked of me.
[He empties the cup of wine.]
Salomé Give me the head of Jokanaan.
Herodias