1893

SALOME

by Oscar Wilde

THE PERSONS OF THE PLAY -

HEROD ANTIPAS, Tetrarch of Judaea

IOKANAAN, The Prophet

THE YOUNG SYRIAN, Captain of the Guard

TIGELLINUS, A young Roman

A CAPPADOCIAN

A NUBIAN

FIRST SOLDIER

SECOND SOLDIER

THE PAGE OF HERODIAS

JEWS, NAZARENES, ETC.

A SLAVE

NAAMAN, The Executioner

HERODIAS, Wife Of the Tetrarch

SALOME, Daughter of Herodias

THE SLAVES OF SALOME

SALOME -

SCENE- A great terrace in the Palace of Herod, set about

the banqueting hall. Some soldiers are leaning over the

balcony. To the right there is a gigantic staircase, to the

left, at the back, an old cistern surrounded by a wall of

green bronze. The moon is shining very brightly. -

THE YOUNG SYR. How beautiful is the Princess Salome to-night!

THE PAGE OF HER. Look at the moon. How strange the moon seems! She

is like a woman rising from the tomb. She is like a dead woman.

One might fancy she was looking for dead things.

THE YOUNG SYR. She has a strange look. She is like a little

princess who wears a yellow veil, and whose feet are of silver.

She is like a princess who has little white doves for feet. One

might fancy she was dancing.

THE PAGE OF HER. She is like a woman who is dead. She moves very

slowly. -

[Noise in the banqueting-ball.] -

FIRST SOL. What an uproar! Who are those wild beasts howling?

SECOND SOL. The Jews. They are always like that. They are disputing

about their religion.

FIRST SOL. Why do they dispute about their religion?

SECOND SOL. I cannot tell. They are always doing it. The Pharisees,

for instance, say that there are angels, and the Sadducees

declare that angels do not exist.

FIRST SOL. I think it is ridiculous to dispute about such things.

THE YOUNG SYR. How beautiful is the Princess Salome to-night!

THE PAGE OF HER. You are always looking at her. You look at her too

much. It is dangerous to look at people in such fashion.

Something terrible may happen.

THE YOUNG SYR. She is very beautiful to-night.

FIRST SOL. The Tetrarch has a sombre aspect.

SECOND SOL. Yes; he has a sombre aspect.

FIRST SOL. He is looking at something.

SECOND SOL. He is looking at some one.

FIRST SOL. At whom is he looking?

SECOND SOL. I cannot tell.

THE YOUNG SYR. How pale the Princess is! Never have I seen her so

pale. She is like the shadow of a white rose in a mirror of

silver.

THE PAGE OF HER. You must not look at her. You look too much at

her.

FIRST SOL. Herodias has filled the cup of the Tetrarch.

THE CAPPA. Is that the Queen Herodias, she who wears a black mitre

sewed with pearls, and whose hair is powdered with blue dust?

FIRST SOL. Yes; that is Herodias, the Tetrarch's wife.

SECOND SOL. The Tetrarch is very fond of wine. He has wine of three

sorts. One which is brought from the island of Samothrace, and

is purple like the cloak of Caesar.

THE CAPPA. I have never seen Caesar.

SECOND SOL. Another that comes from a town called Cyprus, and is as

yellow as gold.

THE CAPPA. I love gold.

SECOND SOL. And the third is a wine of Sicily. That wine is as red

as blood.

THE NUB. The gods of my country are very fond of blood. Twice in

the year we sacrifice to them young men and maidens: fifty young

men and a hundred maidens. But I am afraid that we never give

them quite enough, for they are very harsh to us.

THE CAPPA. In my country there are no gods left. The Romans have

driven them out. There are some who say that they have hidden

themselves in the mountains, but I do not believe it. Three

nights I have been on the mountains seeking them everywhere. I

did not find them, and at last I called them by their names, and

they did not come. I think they are dead.

FIRST SOL. The Jews worship a God that one cannot see.

THE CAPPA. I cannot understand that.

FIRST SOL. In fact they only believe in things that one cannot see.

THE CAPPA. That seems to me altogether ridiculous.

THE VOICE OF IOK. After me shall come another mightier than I. I am

not worthy so much as to unloose the latchet of his shoes. When

he cometh the solitary places shall be glad. They shall blossom

like the rose. The eyes of the blind shall see the day, and the

ears of the deaf shall be opened. The sucking child shall put his

hand upon the dragon's lair, he shall lead the lions by their

manes.

SECOND SOL. Make him be silent. He is always saying ridiculous

things.

FIRST SOL. No, no. He is a holy man. He is very gentle, too. Every

day when I give him to eat he thanks me.