Salomé: A Tragedy in One Act

Scene—THE GREAT TERRACE OUTSIDE THE PALACE.

SCENE.—A great terrace in the Palace of Herod, set above 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. Moonlight.

How beautiful is the Princess Salomé to-night!

Look at the moon! How strange the moon seems! She is like a woman rising from a tomb. She is like a dead woman. You would fancy she was looking for dead things.

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. You would fancy she was dancing.

She is like a woman who is dead. She moves very slowly.

What an uproar! Who are those wild beasts howling?

The Jews. They are always like that. They are disputing about their religion.

Why do they dispute about their religion?

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.

I think it is ridiculous to dispute about such things.

How beautiful is the Princess Salomé to-night!

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.

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.