Salomé_ A Tragedy in One Act Oscar Wilde 2342 downloads.pdf

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Salomé: A Tragedy in One Act
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever.
You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project
Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org.
If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of
the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Salomé: A Tragedy in One Act

Author: Oscar Wilde

Author of introduction, etc.: Robert Baldwin Ross

Illustrator: Aubrey Beardsley

Translator: Alfred Bruce Douglas

Release date: May 12, 2013 [eBook #42704]
Most recently updated: October 23, 2024

Language: English

Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42704

Credits: Produced by Marc D'Hooghe (Images generously made available by
the Internet Archive.)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SALOMÉ: A TRAGEDY
IN ONE ACT ***

SALOMÉ
A TRAGEDY IN ONE ACT:

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF

OSCAR WILDE,
WITH SIXTEEN DRAWINGS BY AUBREY BEARDSLEY

LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD

NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY, MCMVII

THE PERSONS OF THE PLAY.

HEROD ANTIPAS, TETRARCH OF JUDÆA.
JOKANAAN, 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.
SALOMÉ, DAUGHTER OF HERODIAS.
THE SLAVES OF SALOMÉ.

A NOTE ON "SALOMÉ."

"SALOMÉ" has made the author's name a household word wherever the English
language is not spoken. Few English plays have such a peculiar history. Written in
French in 1892 it was in full rehearsal by Madame Bernhardt at the Palace Theatre
when it was prohibited by the Censor. Oscar Wilde immediately announced his
intention of changing his nationality, a characteristic jest, which was only taken
seriously, oddly enough, in Ireland. The interference of the Censor has seldom been
more popular or more heartily endorsed by English critics. On its publication in
book form "Salomé" was greeted by a chorus of ridicule, and it may be noted in
passing that at least two of the more violent reviews were from the pens of
unsuccessful dramatists, while all those whose French never went beyond
Ollendorff were glad to find in that venerable school classic an unsuspected asset in
their education—a handy missile with which to pelt "Salomé" and its author. The
correctness of the French was, of course, impugned, although the scrip had been
passed by a distinguished French writer, to whom I have heard the whole work
attributed. The Times, while depreciating the drama, gave its author credit for a
tour de force, in being capable of writing a French play for Madame Bernhardt, and
this drew from him the following letter:—

The Times, Thursday, March 2, 1893, p. 4.
MR. OSCAR WILDE ON "SALOMÉ."
To the Editor of The Times.
Sir, My attention has been drawn to a review of "Salomé" which was
published in your columns last week. The opinions of English critics on a
French work of mine have, of course, little, if any, interest for me. I write
simply to ask you to allow me to correct a misstatement that appears in the
review in question.
The fact that the greatest tragic actress of any stage now living saw in my play
such beauty that she was anxious to produce it, to take herself the part of the
heroine, to lend to the entire poem the glamour of her personality, and to my
prose the music of her flute-like voice—this was naturally, and always will be,
a source of pride and pleasure to me, and I look forward with delight to seeing

Mme. Bernhardt present my play in Paris, that vivid centre of art, where
religious dramas are often performed. But my play was in no sense of the
words written for this great actress. I have never written a play for any actor or
actress, nor shall I ever do so. Such work is for the artisan in literature—not
for the artist.
I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,
OSCAR WILDE.

When "Salomé" was translated into English by Lord Alfred Douglas, the illustrator,
Aubrey Beardsley, shared some of the obloquy heaped on Wilde. It is interesting
that he should have found inspiration for his finest work in a play he never admired
and by a writer he cordially disliked. The motives are, of course, made to his hand,
and never was there a more suitable material for that odd tangent art in which there
are no tactile values. The amusing caricatures of Wilde which appear in the
Frontispiece, "Enter Herodias" and "The Eyes of Herod," are the only pieces of
vraisemblance in these exquisite designs. The colophon is a real masterpiece and a
witty criticism of the play as well.
On the production of "Salomé" by the New Stage Club in May, 1905,[1] the
dramatic critics again expressed themselves vehemently, vociferating their regrets
that the play had been dragged from its obscurity. The obscure drama, however, had
become for five years past part of the literature of Europe. It is performed regularly
or intermittently in Holland, Sweden, Italy, France, and Russia, and it has been
translated into every European language, including the Czech. It forms part of the
repertoire of the German stage, where it is performed more often than any play by
any English writer except Shakespeare. Owing, perhaps, to what I must call its
obscure popularity in the continental theatres, Dr. Strauss was preparing his
remarkable opera at the very moment when there appeared the criticisms to which I
refer, and since the production of the opera in Dresden in December, 1905, English
musical journalists and correspondents always refer to the work as founded on
Wilde's drama. That is the only way in which they can evade an awkward truth—a
palpable contravention to their own wishes and theories. The music, however, has
been set to the actual words of "Salomé" in Madame Hedwig Lachmann's
admirable translation. The words have not been transfigured into ordinary operatic
nonsense to suit the score, or the susceptibilities of the English people. I observe
that admirers of Dr. Strauss are a little mortified that the great master should have
found an occasion for composition in a play which they long ago consigned to
oblivion and the shambles of Aubrey Beardsley. Wilde himself, in a rhetorical
period, seems to have contemplated the possibility of his prose drama for a musical

theme. In "De Profundis" he says: "The refrains, whose recurring motifs make
'Salomé' so like a piece of music, and bind it together as a ballad."
He was still incarcerated in 1896, when Mons. Luigne Poë produced the play for
the first time at the Théâtre Libre in Paris, with Lina Muntz in the title role. A rather
pathetic reference to this occasion occurs in a letter Wilde wrote to me from
Reading:—
"Please say how gratified I was at the performance of my play, and have my thanks
conveyed to Luigne Poë. It is something that at a time of disgrace and shame I
should still be regarded as an artist. I wish I could feel more pleasure, but I seem
dead to all emotions except those of anguish and despair. However, please let
Luigne Poë know that I am sensible of the honour he has done me. He is a poet
himself. Write to me in answer to this, and try and see what Lemaitre, Bauer, and
Sarcey said of 'Salomé.'"
The bias of personal friendship precludes me from praising or defending "Salomé,"
even if it were necessary to do so. Nothing I might say would add to the reputation
of its detractors. Its sources are obvious; particularly Flaubert and Maeterlinck, in
whose peculiar and original style it is an essay. A critic, for whom I have a greater
regard than many of his contemporaries, says that "Salomé" is only a catalogue; but
a catalogue can be intensely dramatic, as we know when the performance takes
place at Christie's; few plays are more exciting than an auction in King Street when
the stars are fighting for Sisera.
It has been remarked that Wilde confuses Herod the Great (Mat. xi. 1), Herod
Antipas (Mat. xiv. 3), and Herod Agrippa (Acts xiii), but the confusion is
intentional, as in mediæval mystery plays Herod is taken for a type, not an
historical character, and the criticism is about as valuable as that of people who
laboriously point out the anachronisms in Beardsley's designs. With reference to the
charge of plagiarism brought against "Salomé" and its author, I venture to mention
a personal recollection.
Wilde complained to me one day that someone in a well-known novel had stolen an
idea of his. I pleaded in defence of the culprit that Wilde himself was a fearless
literary thief. "My dear fellow," he said, with his usual drawling emphasis, "when I
see a monstrous tulip with four wonderful petals in someone else's garden, I am
impelled to grow a monstrous tulip with five wonderful petals, but that is no reason
why someone should grow a tulip with only three petals." THAT WAS OSCAR
WILDE.
ROBERT ROSS.
[1] A more recent performance of "Salomé" (1906), by the Literary Theatre Club, has
again produced an ebullition of rancour and deliberate misrepresentation on the part of
the dramatic critics, the majority of whom are anxious to parade their ignorance of the

continental stage. The production was remarkable on account of the beautiful dresses and
mounting, for which Mr. Charles Ricketts was responsible, and the marvellous
impersonation of Herod by Mr. Robert Farquharson. Wilde used to say that "Salomé"
was a mirror in which everyone could see himself. The artist, art; the dull, dulness; the
vulgar, vulgarity.

1. THE WOMAN IN THE MOON. 2. TITLE PAGE. 3. COVER DESIGN. 4. LIST OF THE PICTURES. 5.
THE PEACOCK SKIRT. 6. THE BLACK CAPE. 7. A PLATONIC LAMENT. 8. JOHN AND SALOMÉ. 9.
ENTER HERODIAS. 10. THE EYES OF HEROD. 11. THE STOMACH DANCE. 12. THE TOILETTE OF
SALOMÉ—I. 13. THE TOILETTE OF SALOMÉ—II. 14. THE DANCER'S REWARD. 15. THE CLIMAX.
16. CUL DE LAMPE.

Cast of the Performance of "Salomé," represented in England for the first time.

NEW STAGE CLUB.

"SALOMÉ,"

BY OSCAR WILDE.

May 10th and 13th 1905.

A YOUNG SYRIAN CAPTAIN — MR. HERBERT ALEXANDER.
PAGE OF HERODIAS — MRS. GWENDOLEN BISHOP.
FIRST SOLDIER — MR. CHARLES GEE.
SECOND SOLDIER — MR. RALPH DE ROHAN.
CAPPADOCIAN — MR. CHARLES DALMON.
JOKANAAN — MR. VINCENT NELLO.
NAAMAN, THE EXECUTIONER — MR. W. EVELYN OSBORN.
SALOMÉ — Miss MILLICENT MURBY.
SLAVE — Miss CARRIE KEITH.
HEROD — MR. ROBERT FARQUHARSON.
HERODIAS — Miss LOUISE SALOM.
TIGELLINUS — MR. C.L. DELPH.
SLAVE — Miss STANSFELD.
FIRST JEW — MR. F. STANLEY SMITH.
SECOND JEW — MR. BERNHARD SMITH.
THIRD JEW — MR. JOHN BATE.
FOURTH JEW — STEPHEN BAGEHOT
FIFTH JEW — FREDERICK LAWRENCE.

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.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
How beautiful is the Princess Salomé to-night!
THE PAGE OF HERODIAS
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.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN

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.
THE PAGE OF HERODIAS
She is like a woman who is dead. She moves very slowly.
[Noise in the banqueting-hall.]
FIRST SOLDIER
What an uproar! Who are those wild beasts howling?
SECOND SOLDIER
The Jews. They are always like that. They are disputing about their religion.
FIRST SOLDIER
Why do they dispute about their religion?
SECOND SOLDIER
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 SOLDIER
I think it is ridiculous to dispute about such things.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
How beautiful is the Princess Salomé to-night!
THE PAGE OF HERODIAS
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 SYRIAN
She is very beautiful to-night.
FIRST SOLDIER
The Tetrarch has a sombre look.
SECOND SOLDIER
Yes; he has a sombre look.
FIRST SOLDIER

He is looking at something.
SECOND SOLDIER
He is looking at some one.
FIRST SOLDIER
At whom is he looking?
SECOND SOLDIER
I cannot tell.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
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 HERODIAS
You must not look at her. You look too much at her.
FIRST SOLDIER
Herodias has filled the cup of the Tetrarch.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
Is that the Queen Herodias, she who wears a black mitre sewn with pearls, and
whose hair is powdered with blue dust?
FIRST SOLDIER
Yes; that is Herodias, the Tetrarch's wife.
SECOND SOLDIER
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 Cæsar.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
I have never seen Cæsar.
SECOND SOLDIER
Another that comes from a town called Cyprus, and is yellow like gold.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
I love gold.
SECOND SOLDIER

And the third is a wine of Sicily. That wine is red like blood.
THE NUBIAN
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 it
seems we never give them quite enough, for they are very harsh to us.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
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 SOLDIER
The Jews worship a God that you cannot see.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
I cannot understand that.
FIRST SOLDIER
In fact, they only believe in things that you cannot see.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
That seems to me altogether ridiculous.
THE VOICE OF JOKANAAN
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 lily. The eyes of the blind shall see the day, and the ears of
the deaf shall be opened. The new-born child shall put his hand upon the dragon's
lair, he shall lead the lions by their manes.
SECOND SOLDIER
Make him be silent. He is always saying ridiculous things.
FIRST SOLDIER
No, no. He is a holy man. He is very gentle, too. Every day, when I give him to eat
he thanks me.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
Who is he?

FIRST SOLDIER
A prophet.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
What is his name?
FIRST SOLDIER
Jokanaan.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
Whence comes he?
FIRST SOLDIER
From the desert, where he fed on locusts and wild honey. He was clothed in camel's
hair, and round his loins he had a leathern belt. He was very terrible to look upon. A
great multitude used to follow him. He even had disciples.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
What is he talking of?
FIRST SOLDIER
We can never tell. Sometimes he says terrible things, but it is impossible to
understand what he says.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
May one see him?
FIRST SOLDIER
No. The Tetrarch has forbidden it.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
The Princess has hidden her face behind her fan! Her little white hands are
fluttering like doves that fly to their dove-cots. They are like white butterflies. They
are just like white butterflies.
THE PAGE OF HERODIAS
What is that to you? Why do you look at her? You must not look at her....
Something terrible may happen.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
[Pointing to the cistern.]

What a strange prison!
SECOND SOLDIER
It is an old cistern.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
An old cistern! It must be very unhealthy.
SECOND SOLDIER
Oh no! For instance, the Tetrarch's brother, his elder brother, the first husband of
Herodias the Queen, was imprisoned there for twelve years. It did not kill him. At
the end of the twelve years he had to be strangled.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
Strangled? Who dared to do that?
SECOND SOLDIER
[Pointing to the Executioner, a huge Negro.]
That man yonder, Naaman.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
He was not afraid?
SECOND SOLDIER
Oh no! The Tetrarch sent him the ring.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
What ring?

SECOND SOLDIER
The death-ring. So he was not afraid.
THE CAPPADOCIAN
Yet it is a terrible thing to strangle a king.
FIRST SOLDIER
Why? Kings have but one neck, like other folk.
THE CAPPADOCIAN

I think it terrible.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
The Princess rises! She is leaving the table! She looks very troubled. Ah, she is
coming this way. Yes, she is coming towards us. How pale she is! Never have I
seen her so pale.
THE PAGE OF HERODIAS
Do not look at her. I pray you not to look at her.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
She is like a dove that has strayed.... She is like a narcissus trembling in the wind....
She is like a silver flower.
[Enter Salomé.]
SALOMÉ
I will not stay. I cannot stay. Why does the Tetrarch look at me all the while with
his mole's eyes under his shaking eyelids? It is strange that the husband of my
mother looks at me like that. I know not what it means. In truth, yes, I know it.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
You have just left the feast, Princess?
SALOMÉ
How sweet the air is here! I can breathe here! Within there are Jews from Jerusalem
who are tearing each other in pieces over their foolish ceremonies, and barbarians
who drink and drink, and spill their wine on the pavement, and Greeks from
Smyrna with painted eyes and painted cheeks, and frizzed hair curled in twisted
coils, and silent, subtle Egyptians, with long nails of jade and russett cloaks, and
Romans brutal and coarse, with their uncouth jargon. Ah! how I loathe the Romans!
They are rough and common, and they give themselves the airs of noble lords.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Will you be seated, Princess?
THE PAGE OF HERODIAS
Why do you speak to her? Why do you look at her? Oh! something terrible will
happen.
SALOMÉ

How good to see the moon! She is like a little piece of money, you would think she
was a little silver flower. The moon is cold and chaste. I am sure she is a virgin, she
has a virgin's beauty. Yes, she is a virgin. She has never defiled herself. She has
never abandoned herself to men, like the other goddesses.
THE VOICE OF JOKANAAN
The Lord hath come. The son of man hath come. The centaurs have hidden
themselves in the rivers, and the sirens have left the rivers, and are lying beneath
the leaves of the forest.
SALOMÉ
Who was that who cried out?
SECOND SOLDIER
The prophet, Princess.
SALOMÉ
Ah, the prophet! He of whom the Tetrarch is afraid?
SECOND SOLDIER
We know nothing of that, Princess. It was the prophet Jokanaan who cried out.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Is it your pleasure that I bid them bring your litter, Princess? The night is fair in the
garden.
SALOMÉ
He says terrible things about my mother, does he not?
SECOND SOLDIER
We never understand what he says, Princess.
SALOMÉ
Yes; he says terrible things about her.
[Enter a Slave.]
THE SLAVE
Princess, the Tetrarch prays you to return to the feast.
SALOMÉ
I will not go back.

THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Pardon me, Princess, but if you do not return some misfortune may happen.
SALOMÉ
Is he an old man, this prophet?
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Princess, it were better to return. Suffer me to lead you in.
SALOMÉ
This prophet ... is he an old man?
FIRST SOLDIER
No, Princess, he is quite a young man.
SECOND SOLDIER
You cannot be sure. There are those who say he is Elias.
SALOMÉ
Who is Elias?
SECOND SOLDIER
A very ancient prophet of this country, Princess.
THE SLAVE
What answer may I give the Tetrarch from the Princess?
THE VOICE OF JOKANAAN
Rejoice not thou, land of Palestine, because the rod of him who smote thee is
broken. For from the seed of the serpent shall come forth a basilisk, and that which
is born of it shall devour the birds.
SALOMÉ
What a strange voice! I would speak with him.
FIRST SOLDIER
I fear it is impossible, Princess. The Tetrarch does not wish any one to speak with
him. He has even forbidden the high priest to speak with him.
SALOMÉ
I desire to speak with him.

FIRST SOLDIER
It is impossible, Princess.
SALOMÉ
I will speak with him.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Would it not be better to return to the banquet?
SALOMÉ
Bring forth this prophet.
[Exit the slave.]
FIRST SOLDIER
We dare not, Princess.
SALOMÉ
[Approaching the cistern and looking down into it.]
How black it is, down there! It must be terrible to be in so black a pit! It is like a
tomb.... [To the soldiers.] Did you not hear me? Bring out the prophet. I wish to see
him.
SECOND SOLDIER
Princess, I beg you do not require this of us.
SALOMÉ
You keep me waiting!
FIRST SOLDIER
Princess, our lives belong to you, but we cannot do what you have asked of us. And
indeed, it is not of us that you should ask this thing.
SALOMÉ
[Looking at the young Syrian.]
Ah!
THE PAGE OF HERODIAS
Oh! what is going to happen? I am sure that some misfortune will happen.
SALOMÉ

[Going up to the young Syrian.]
You will do this tiling for me, will you not, Narraboth? You will do this thing for
me. I have always been kind to you. You will do it for me. I would but look at this
strange prophet. Men have talked so much of him. Often have I heard the Tetrarch
talk of him. I think the Tetrarch is afraid of him. Are you, even you, also afraid of
him, Narraboth?
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
I fear him not, Princess; there is no man I fear. But the Tetrarch has formally
forbidden that any man should raise the cover of this well.
SALOMÉ
You will do this thing for me, Narraboth, and to-morrow when I pass in my litter
beneath the gateway of the idol-sellers I will let fall for you a little flower, a little
green flower.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Princess, I cannot, I cannot.
SALOMÉ
[Smiling.]
You will do this thing for me, Narraboth. You know that you will do this thing for
me. And to-morrow when I pass in my litter by the bridge of the idol-buyers, I will
look at you through the muslin veils, I will look at you, Narraboth, it may be I will
smile at you. Look at me, Narraboth, look at me. Ah! you know that you will do
what I ask of you. You know it well.... I know that you will do this thing.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
[Signing to the third soldier.]
Let the prophet come forth.... The Princess Salomé desires to see him.
SALOMÉ
Ah!
THE PAGE OF HERODIAS
Oh! How strange the moon looks. You would think it was the hand of a dead
woman who is seeking to cover herself with a shroud.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN

She has a strange look! She is like a little princess, whose eyes are eyes of amber.
Through the clouds of muslin she is smiling like a little princess.
[The prophet comes out of the cistern. Salomé looks at him and steps slowly back.]

JOKANAAN
Where is he whose cup of abominations is now full? Where is he, who in a robe of
silver shall one day die in the face of all the people? Bid him come forth, that he
may hear the voice of him who hath cried in the waste places and in the houses of
kings.

SALOMÉ
Of whom is he speaking?
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
You can never tell, Princess.
JOKANAAN
Where is she who having seen the images of men painted on the walls, the images
of the Chaldeans limned in colours, gave herself up unto the lust of her eyes, and
sent ambassadors into Chaldea?
SALOMÉ
It is of my mother that he speaks.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Oh, no, Princess.
SALOMÉ
Yes; it is of my mother that he speaks.
JOKANAAN
Where is she who gave herself unto the Captains of Assyria, who have baldricks on
their loins, and tiaras of divers colours on their heads? Where is she who hath given
herself to the young men of Egypt, who are clothed in fine linen and purple, whose
shields are of gold, whose helmets are of silver, whose bodies are mighty? Bid her
rise up from the bed of her abominations, from the bed of her incestuousness, that
she may hear the words of him who prepareth the way of the Lord, that she may
repent her of her iniquities. Though she will never repent, but will stick fast in her
abominations; bid her come, for the fan of the Lord is in His hand.
SALOMÉ
But he is terrible, he is terrible!
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Do not stay here, Princess, I beseech you.
SALOMÉ
It is his eyes above all that are terrible. They are like black holes burned by torches
in a Tyrian tapestry. They are like black caverns where dragons dwell. They are like
the black caverns of Egypt in which the dragons make their lairs. They are like
black lakes troubled by fantastic moons.... Do you think he will speak again?

THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Do not stay here, Princess. I pray you do not stay here.
SALOMÉ
How wasted he is! He is like a thin ivory statue. He is like an image of silver. I am
sure he is chaste as the moon is. He is like a moonbeam, like a shaft of silver. His
flesh must be cool like ivory. I would look closer at him.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
No, no, Princess.
SALOMÉ
I must look at him closer.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Princess! Princess!
JOKANAAN
Who is this woman who is looking at me? I will not have her look at me.
Wherefore doth she look at me with her golden eyes, under her gilded eyelids? I
know not who she is. I do not wish to know who she is. Bid her begone. It is not to
her that I would speak.
SALOMÉ
I am Salomé, daughter of Herodias, Princess of Judæa.
JOKANAAN
Back! daughter of Babylon! Come not near the chosen of the Lord. Thy mother
hath filled the earth with the wine of her iniquities, and the cry of her sins hath
come up to the ears of God.
SALOMÉ
Speak again, Jokanaan. Thy voice is wine to me.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Princess! Princess! Princess!
SALOMÉ
Speak again! Speak again, Jokanaan, and tell me what I must do.
JOKANAAN

Daughter of Sodom, come not near me! But cover thy face with a veil, and scatter
ashes upon thine head, and get thee to the desert and seek out the Son of Man.
SALOMÉ
Who is he, the Son of Man? Is he as beautiful as thou art, Jokanaan?
JOKANAAN
Get thee behind me! I hear in the palace the beating of the wings of the angel of
death.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Princess, I beseech thee to go within.
JOKANAAN
Angel of the Lord God, what dost thou here with thy sword? Whom seekest thou in
this foul palace? The day of him who shall die in a robe of silver has not yet come.

SALOMÉ
Jokanaan!
JOKANAAN
Who speaketh?
SALOMÉ
Jokanaan, I am amorous of thy body! Thy body is white like the lilies of a field that
the mower hath never mowed. Thy body is white like the snows that lie on the

mountains, like the snows that lie on the mountains of Judæa, and come down into
the valleys. The roses in the garden of the Queen of Arabia are not so white as thy
body. Neither the roses in the garden of the Queen of Arabia, the perfumed garden
of spices of the Queen of Arabia, nor the feet of the dawn when they light on the
leaves, nor the breast of the moon when she lies on the breast of the sea.... There is
nothing in the world so white as thy body. Let me touch thy body.
JOKANAAN
Back! daughter of Babylon! By woman came evil into the world. Speak not to me. I
will not listen to thee. I listen but to the voice of the Lord God.
SALOMÉ
Thy body is hideous. It is like the body of a leper. It is like a plastered wall where
vipers have crawled; like a plastered wall where the scorpions have made their nest.
It is like a whitened sepulchre full of loathsome things. It is horrible, thy body is
horrible. It is of thy hair that I am enamoured, Jokanaan. Thy hair is like clusters of
grapes, like the clusters of black grapes that hang from the vine-trees of Edom in
the land of the Edomites. Thy hair is like the cedars of Lebanon, like the great
cedars of Lebanon that give their shade to the lions and to the robbers who would
hide themselves by day. The long black nights, when the moon hides her face, when
the stars are afraid, are not so black. The silence that dwells in the forest is not so
black. There is nothing in the world so black as thy hair.... Let me touch thy hair.
JOKANAAN
Back, daughter of Sodom! Touch me not. Profane not the temple of the Lord God.
SALOMÉ
Thy hair is horrible. It is covered with mire and dust. It is like a crown of thorns
which they have placed on thy forehead. It is like a knot of black serpents writhing
round thy neck. I love not thy hair.... It is thy mouth that I desire, Jokanaan. Thy
mouth is like a band of scarlet on a tower of ivory. It is like a pomegranate cut with
a knife of ivory. The pomegranate-flowers that blossom in the gardens of Tyre, and
are redder than roses, are not so red. The red blasts of trumpets that herald the
approach of kings, and make afraid the enemy, are not so red. Thy mouth is redder
than the feet of those who tread the wine in the wine-press. Thy mouth is redder
than the feet of the doves who haunt the temples and are fed by the priests. It is
redder than the feet of him who cometh from a forest where he hath slain a lion,
and seen gilded tigers. Thy mouth is like a branch of coral that fishers have found
in the twilight of the sea, the coral that they keep for the kings!... It is like the
vermilion that the Moabites find in the mines of Moab, the vermilion that the kings
take from them. It is like the bow of the King of the Persians, that is painted with

vermilion, and is tipped with coral. There is nothing in the world so red as thy
mouth.... Let me kiss thy mouth.
JOKANAAN
Never! daughter of Babylon! Daughter of Sodom! Never.
SALOMÉ
I will kiss thy mouth, Jokanaan. I will kiss thy mouth.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Princess, Princess, thou who art like a garden of myrrh, thou who art the dove of all
doves, look not at this man, look not at him! Do not speak such words to him. I
cannot suffer them.... Princess, Princess, do not speak these things.
SALOMÉ
I will kiss thy mouth, Jokanaan.
THE YOUNG SYRIAN
Ah! [He kills himself and falls between Salomé and Jokanaan.]
THE PAGE OF HERODIAS
The young Syrian has slain himself! The young captain has slain himself! He has
slain himself who was my friend! I gave him a little box of perfumes and ear-rings
wrought in silver, and now he has killed himself! Ah, did he not foretell that some
misfortune would happen? I, too, foretold it, and it has happened. Well I knew that
the moon was seeking a dead thing, but I knew not that it was he whom she sought.
Ah! why did I not hide him from the moon? If I had hidden him in a cavern she
would not have seen him.
FIRST SOLDIER
Princess, the young captain has just killed himself.
SALOMÉ
Let me kiss thy mouth, Jokanaan.
JOKANAAN
Art thou not afraid, daughter of Herodias? Did I not tell thee that I had heard in the
palace the beatings of the wings of the angel of death, and hath he not come, the
angel of death?

SALOMÉ
Let me kiss thy mouth.
JOKANAAN
Daughter of adultery, there is but one who can save thee, it is He of whom I spake.
Go seek Him. He is in a boat on the sea of Galilee, and He talketh with His
disciples. Kneel down on the shore of the sea, and call unto Him by His name.
When He cometh to thee (and to all who call on Him He cometh), bow thyself at
His feet and ask of Him the remission of thy sins.

SALOMÉ
Let me kiss thy mouth.
JOKANAAN
Cursed be thou! daughter of an incestuous mother, be thou accursed!
SALOMÉ
I will kiss thy mouth, Jokanaan.
JOKANAAN
I do no wish to look at thee. I will not look at thee, thou art accursed, Salomé, thou
art accursed. [He goes down into the cistern.]
SALOMÉ
I will kiss thy mouth, Jokanaan; I will kiss thy mouth.
FIRST SOLDIER
We must bear away the body to another place. The Tetrarch does not care to see
dead bodies, save the bodies of those whom he himself has slain.
THE PAGE OF HERODIAS
He was my brother, and nearer to me than a brother. I gave him a little box full of
perfumes, and a ring of agate that he wore always on his hand. In the evening we
used to walk by the river, among the almond trees, and he would tell me of the
things of his country. He spake ever very low. The sound of his voice was like the
sound of the flute, of a flute player. Also he much loved to gaze at himself in the
river. I used to reproach him for that.
SECOND SOLDIER
You are right; we must hide the body. The Tetrarch must not see it.
FIRST SOLDIER
The Tetrarch will not come to this place. He never comes on the terrace. He is too
much afraid of the prophet.
[Enter Herod, Herodias, and all the Court.]
HEROD
Where is Salomé? Where is the Princess? Why did she not return to the banquet as I
commanded her? Ah! there she is!
HERODIAS

You must not look at her! You are always looking at her!
HEROD
The moon has a strange look to-night. Has she not a strange look? She is like a mad
woman, a mad woman who is seeking everywhere for lovers. She is naked too. She
is quite naked. The clouds are seeking to clothe her nakedness, but she will not let
them. She shows herself naked in the sky. She reels through the clouds like a
drunken woman.... I am sure she is looking for lovers. Does she not reel like a
drunken woman? She is like a mad woman, is she not?
HERODIAS
No; the moon is like the moon, that is all. Let us go within.... You have nothing to
do here.
HEROD
I will stay here! Manesseh, lay carpets there. Light torches, bring forth the ivory
tables, and the tables of jasper. The air here is delicious. I will drink more wine with
my guests. We must show all honours to the ambassadors of Cæsar.
HERODIAS
It is not because of them that you remain.
HEROD
Yes; the air is delicious. Come, Herodias, our guests await us. Ah! I have slipped! I
have slipped in blood! It is an ill omen. It is a very evil omen. Wherefore is there
blood here?... and this body, what does this body here? Think you I am like the
King of Egypt, who gives no feast to his guests but that he shows them a corpse?
Whose is it? I will not look on it.
FIRST SOLDIER
It is our captain, sire. He is the young Syrian whom you made captain only three
days ago.
HEROD
I gave no order that he should be slain.
SECOND SOLDIER
He killed himself, sire.
HEROD
For what reason? I had made him captain.

SECOND SOLDIER
We do not know, sire. But he killed himself.
HEROD
That seems strange to me. I thought it was only the Roman philosophers who killed
themselves. Is it not true, Tigellinus, that the philosophers at Rome kill themselves?
TIGELLINUS
There are some who kill themselves, sire. They are the Stoics. The Stoics are coarse
people. They are ridiculous people. I myself regard them as being perfectly
ridiculous.
HEROD
I also. It is ridiculous to kill oneself.
TIGELLINUS
Everybody at Rome laughs at them. The Emperor has written a satire against them.
It is recited everywhere.
HEROD
Ah! he has written a satire against them? Cæsar is wonderful. He can do
everything.... It is strange that the young Syrian has killed himself. I am sorry he
has killed himself. I am very sorry; for he was fair to look upon. He was even very
fair. He had very languorous eyes. I remember that I saw that he looked
languorously at Salomé. Truly, I thought he looked too much at her.
HERODIAS
There are others who look at her too much.
HEROD
His father was a king. I drove him from his kingdom. And you made a slave of his
mother, who was a queen, Herodias. So he was here as my guest, as it were, and for
that reason I made him my captain. I am sorry he is dead. Ho! why have you left
the body here? I will not look at it—away with it! [They take away the body.] It is
cold here. There is a wind blowing. Is there not a wind blowing?
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, no doubt. It has
passed away. But no, I hear it again. Do you not hear it? It is just like the 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. She has the mien of a sick person.
Never have I seen her so pale.
HERODIAS
I have told you not to look at her.
HEROD
Pour me forth wine [wine is brought]. Salomé, come drink a little wine with me. I
have here a wine that is exquisite. Cæsar himself sent it me. Dip into it thy little red
lips, that I may drain the cup.
SALOMÉ
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]. Salomé, come and eat fruit with me. I love
to see in a fruit the mark of thy little teeth. Bite but a little of this fruit and then I
will eat what is left.
SALOMÉ
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 for thee, thy father was a camel driver!
He was also a robber!
HEROD
Thou liest!
HERODIAS
Thou knowest well that it is true.
HEROD
Salomé, come and sit next to me. I will give thee the throne of thy mother.
SALOMÉ
I am not tired, Tetrarch.
HERODIAS
You see what she thinks of you.
HEROD
Bring me—what is it that I desire? I forget. Ah! ah! I remember.

THE VOICE OF JOKANAAN
Lo! the time is come! That which I foretold has come to pass, saith the Lord God.
Lo! the day of which I spoke.
HERODIAS
Bid him be silent. I will not listen to his voice. This man is for ever vomiting insults
against me.
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. Moreover, 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 who saw God. In these days God doth not show Himself. He 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 everything. God is
in what is evil even as He is in what is good.
A FOURTH JEW
That must not be said. It is a very dangerous doctrine. It is a doctrine that cometh
from the schools at Alexandria, where men teach the philosophy of the Greeks. And
the Greeks are Gentiles: They are not even circumcised.
A FIFTH JEW
No one can tell how God worketh. His ways are very mysterious. 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 any thing. We must needs submit to everything, for God
is very strong. He breaketh in pieces the strong together with the weak, for He
regardeth not any man.

FIRST JEW
Thou speaketh truly. God is terrible; He breaketh the strong and the weak as a man
brays corn in a mortar. But this man hath never seen God. No man hath seen God
since the prophet Elias.
HERODIAS
Make them be silent. They weary me.
HEROD
But I have heard it said that Jokanaan himself is your prophet Elias.
THE JEW
That cannot be. It is more than three hundred years since the days of the prophet
Elias.
HEROD
There be some who say that this man is the prophet Elias.
A NAZARENE
I am sure that he is the prophet Elias.
THE JEW
Nay, but he is not the prophet Elias.
THE VOICE OF JOKANAAN
So the day is come, the day of the Lord, and I hear upon the mountains the feet of
Him who shall be the Saviour of the world.
HEROD
What does that mean? The Saviour of the world.
TIGELLINUS
It is a title that Cæsar takes.
HEROD
But Cæsar is not coming into Judæa. Only yesterday I received letters from Rome.
They contained nothing concerning this matter. And you, Tigellinus, who were at
Rome during the winter, you heard nothing concerning this matter, did you?
TIGELLINUS
Sire, I heard nothing concerning the matter. I was explaining the title. It is one of
Cæsar's titles.

HEROD
But Cæsar cannot come. He is too gouty. They say that his feet are like the feet of
an elephant. Also there are reasons of State. He who leaves Rome loses Rome. He
will not come. Howbeit, Cæsar is lord, he will come if he wishes. Nevertheless, I
do not think he will come.
FIRST NAZARENE
It was not concerning Cæsar that the prophet spake these words, sire.
HEROD
Not of Cæsar?
FIRST NAZARENE
No, sire.
HEROD
Concerning whom then did he speak?
FIRST NAZARENE
Concerning Messias who has come.
A JEW
Messiah hath not come.
FIRST NAZARENE
He hath come, and everywhere He worketh miracles.
HERODIAS Ho! ho! miracles! I do not believe in miracles. I have seen too many.
[To the page.] My fan!
FIRST NAZARENE
This man worketh true miracles. Thus, at a marriage which took place in a little
town of Galilee, a town of some importance, He changed water into wine. Certain
persons who were present related it to me. Also He healed two lepers that were
seated before the Gate of Capernaum simply by touching them.
SECOND NAZARENE
Nay, it was blind men that he healed at Capernaum.
FIRST NAZARENE
Nay; they were lepers. But He hath healed blind people also, and He was seen on a
mountain talking with angels.

A SADDUCEE
Angels do not exist.
A PHARISEE
Angels exist, but I do not believe that this Man has talked with them.
FIRST NAZARENE
He was seen by a great multitude of people talking with angels.
A SADDUCEE
Not with angels.
HERODIAS
How these men weary me! They are ridiculous! [To the page.] Well! my fan! [The
page gives her the fan.] You have a dreamer's look; you must not dream. It is only
sick people who dream. [She strikes the page with her fan.]
SECOND NAZARENE
There is also the miracle of the daughter of Jairus.
FIRST NAZARENE
Yes, that is sure. No man can gainsay it.
HERODIAS
These men are mad. They have looked too long on the moon. Command them to be
silent.
HEROD
What is this miracle of the daughter of Jairus?
FIRST NAZARENE
The daughter of Jairus was dead. He raised her from the dead.
HEROD
He raises the dead?
FIRST NAZARENE
Yea, sire, He raiseth the dead.
HEROD
I do not wish Him to do that. I forbid Him to do that. I allow no man to raise the
dead. This Man must be found and told that I forbid Him to raise the dead. Where is

this Man at present?
SECOND NAZARENE
He is in every place, my lord, but it is hard to find Him.
FIRST NAZARENE
It is said that He is now in Samaria.
A JEW
It is easy to see that this is not Messias, if He is in Samaria. It is not to the
Samaritans that Messias shall come. The Samaritans are accursed. They bring no
offerings to the Temple.
SECOND NAZARENE
He left Samaria a few days since. I think that at the present moment He is in the
neighbourhood of Jerusalem.
FIRST NAZARENE
No; He is not there. I have just come from Jerusalem. For two months they have
had no tidings of Him.
HEROD
No matter! But let them find Him, and tell Him from me, I will not allow him to
raise the dead! To change water into wine, to heal the lepers and the blind.... He
may do these things if He will. I say nothing against these things. In truth I hold it a
good deed to heal a leper. But I allow no man to raise the dead. It would be terrible
if the dead came back.

THE VOICE OF JOKANAAN
Ah! the wanton! The harlot! Ah! the daughter of Babylon with her golden eyes and
her gilded eyelids!—Thus saith the Lord God, Let there come up against her a
multitude of men. Let the people take stones and stone her....
HERODIAS
Command him to be silent.
THE VOICE OF JOKANAAN
Let the war captains pierce her with their swords, let them crush her beneath their
shields.
HERODIAS
Nay, but it is infamous.

THE VOICE OF JOKANAAN
It is thus that I will wipe out all wickedness from the earth, and that all women shall
learn not to imitate her abominations.
HERODIAS
You hear what he says against me? You allow him to revile your wife?
HEROD
He did not speak your name.
HERODIAS
What does that matter? You know well that it is I whom he seeks to revile. And I
am your wife, am I not?
HEROD
Of a truth, dear and noble Herodias, you are my wife, and before that you were the
wife of my brother.
HERODIAS
It was you who tore me from his arms.
HEROD
Of a truth I was stronger.... But let us not talk of that matter. I do not desire to talk
of it. It is the cause of the terrible words that the prophet has spoken. Peradventure
on account of it a misfortune will come. Let us not speak of this matter. Noble
Herodias, we are not mindful of our guests. Fill thou my cup, my well-beloved. Fill
with wine the great goblets of silver, and the great goblets of glass. I will drink to
Cæsar. There are Romans here, we must drink to Cæsar.
ALL
Cæsar! Cæsar!
HEROD
Do you not see your daughter, how pale she is?
HERODIAS
What is it to you if she be pale or not?
HEROD
Never have I seen her so pale.
HERODIAS

You must not look at her.
THE VOICE OF JOKANAAN
In that day the sun shall become black like sackcloth of hair, and the moon shall
become like blood, and the stars of the heavens shall fall upon the earth like ripe
figs that fall from the fig-tree, and the kings of the earth shall be afraid.
HERODIAS
Ah! Ah! I should like to see that day of which he speaks, when the moon shall
become like blood, and when the stars shall fall upon the earth like ripe figs. This
prophet talks like a drunken man ... but I cannot suffer the sound of his voice. I hate
his voice. Command him to be silent.
HEROD
I will not. I cannot understand what it is that he saith, but it may be an omen.
HERODIAS
I do not believe in omens. He speaks like a drunken man.
HEROD
It may be he is drunk with the wine of God.
HERODIAS
What wine is that, the wine of God? From what vineyards is it gathered? In what
wine-press may one find it?
HEROD
[From this point he looks all the while at Salomé.]
Tigellinus, when you were at Rome of late, did the Emperor speak with you on the
subject of...?
TIGELLINUS
On what subject, sire?
HEROD
On what subject? Ah! I asked you a question, did I not? I have forgotten what I
would have asked you.
HERODIAS
You are looking again at my daughter. You must not look at her. I have already said
so.

HEROD
You say nothing else.
HERODIAS
I say it again.
HEROD
And that restoration of the Temple about which they have talked so much, will
anything be done? They say the veil of the Sanctuary has disappeared, do they not?
HERODIAS
It was thyself didst steal it. Thou speakest at random. I will not stay here. Let us go
within.
HEROD
Dance for me, Salomé.
HERODIAS
I will not have her dance.
SALOMÉ
I have no desire to dance, Tetrarch.
HEROD
Salomé, daughter of Herodias, dance for me.
HERODIAS
Let her alone.
HEROD
I command thee to dance, Salomé.
SALOMÉ
I will not dance, Tetrarch.
HERODIAS
[Laughing].
You see how she obeys you.
HEROD

What is it to me whether she dance or not? It is naught to me. To-night I am happy,
I am exceeding happy. Never have I been so happy.
FIRST SOLDIER
The Tetrarch has a sombre look. Has he not a sombre look?
SECOND SOLDIER
Yes, he has a sombre look.
HEROD
Wherefore should I not be happy? Cæsar, who is lord of the world, who is lord of
all things, loves me well. He has just sent me most precious gifts. Also he has
promised me to summon to Rome the King of Cappadocia, who is my enemy. It
may be that at Rome he will crucify him, for he is able to do all things that he
wishes. Verily, Cæsar is lord. Thus you see I have a right to be happy. Indeed, I am
happy. I have never been so happy. There is nothing in the world that can mar my
happiness.
THE VOICE OF JOKANAAN
He shall be seated on this throne. He shall be clothed in scarlet and purple. In his
hand he shall bear a golden cup full of his blasphemies. And the angel of the Lord
shall smite him. He shall be eaten of worms.
HERODIAS
You hear what he says about you. He says that you will be eaten of worms.
HEROD
It is not of me that he speaks. He speaks never against me. It is of the King of
Cappadocia that he speaks; the King of Cappadocia, who is mine enemy. It is he
who shall be eaten of worms. It is not I. Never has he spoken word against me, this
prophet, save that I sinned in taking to wife the wife of my brother. It may be he is
right. For, of a truth, you are sterile.
HERODIAS
I am sterile, I? You say that, you that are ever looking at my daughter, you that
would have her dance for your pleasure? It is absurd to say that. I have borne a
child. You have gotten no child, no, not even from one of your slaves. It is you who
are sterile, not I.
HEROD
Peace, woman! I say that you are sterile. You have borne me no child, and the
prophet says that our marriage is not a true marriage. He says that it is an

incestuous marriage, a marriage that will bring evils.... I fear he is right; I am sure
that he is right. But it is not the moment to speak of such things. I would be happy
at this moment. Of a truth, I am happy. There is nothing I lack.
HERODIAS
I am glad you are of so fair a humour to-night. It is not your custom. But it is late.
Let us go within. Do not forget that we hunt at sunrise. All honours must be shown
to Cæsar's ambassadors, must they not?
SECOND SOLDIER
What a sombre look the Tetrarch wears.
FIRST SOLDIER
Yes, he wears a sombre look.
HEROD
Salomé, Salomé, dance for me. I pray thee dance for me. I am sad to-night. Yes; I
am passing sad to-night. When I came hither I slipped in blood, which is an evil
omen; and I heard, I am sure I heard in the air a beating of wings, a beating of giant
wings. I cannot tell what they mean ... I am sad to-night. Therefore dance for me.
Dance for me, Salomé, I beseech you. If you dance for me you may ask of me what
you will, and I will give it you, even unto the half of my kingdom.

SALOMÉ
[Rising.] Will you indeed give me whatsoever I shall ask, Tetrarch?
HERODIAS
Do not dance, my daughter.
HEROD
Everything, even the half of my kingdom.
SALOMÉ
You swear it, Tetrarch?
HEROD

I swear it, Salomé.
HERODIAS
Do not dance, my daughter.
SALOMÉ
By what will you swear, Tetrarch?
HEROD
By my life, by my crown, by my gods. Whatsoever you desire I will give it you,
even to the half of my kingdom, if you will but dance for me. O, Salomé, Salomé,
dance for me!
SALOMÉ
You have sworn, Tetrarch.
HEROD
I have sworn, Salomé.
SALOMÉ
All this I ask, even the half of your kingdom.
HERODIAS
My daughter, do not dance.
HEROD
Even to the half of my kingdom. Thou wilt be passing fair as a queen, Salomé, if it
please thee to ask for the half of my kingdom. Will she not be fair as a queen? Ah!
it is cold here! There is an icy wind, and I hear ... wherefore do I hear in the air this
beating of wings? Ah! one might fancy a bird, a huge black bird that hovers over
the terrace. Why can I not see it, this bird? The beat of its wings is terrible. The
breath of the wind of its wings is terrible. It is a chill wind. Nay, but it is not cold, it
is hot. I am choking. Pour water on my hands. Give me snow to eat. Loosen my
mantle. Quick! quick! loosen my mantle. Nay, but leave it. It is my garland that
hurts me, my garland of roses. The flowers are like fire. They have burned my
forehead. [He tears the wreath from his head and throws it on the table.] Ah! I can
breathe now. How red those petals are! They are like stains of blood on the cloth.
That does not matter. You must not find symbols in everything you see. It makes
life impossible. It were better to say that stains of blood are as lovely as rose petals.
It were better far to say that.... But we will not speak of this. Now I am happy, I am
passing happy. Have I not the right to be happy? Your daughter is going to dance
for me. Will you not dance for me, Salomé? You have promised to dance for me.

THE TOILETTE OF SALOMÉ—II
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 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 Cæsar will crucify him when he comes
to Rome. I am sure that Cæsar will crucify him. And if not, yet will he die, being
eaten of worms. The prophet has prophesied it. Well! wherefore dost thou tarry,
Salomé?
SALOMÉ
I am awaiting until my slaves bring perfumes to me and the seven veils, and 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 that dance upon the
trees.... 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? Thou hast 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 ye 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 this 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 you your 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 Judæa? What would you have them bring thee in
a silver charger? Tell me. Whatsoever it may be, they shall give it you. My
treasures belong to thee. 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 hath 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. 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 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 could you have in it? None. No, no, it is not what you desire.
Hearken to me. I have an emerald, a great round emerald, which Cæsar's minion
sent me. If you look through this emerald you can see things which happen at a
great distance. Cæsar himself carries such an emerald when he goes to the circus.
But my emerald is larger. I know well that it 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't? 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 crouch 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 Cæsar 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
Well said, my daughter! As for you, you are ridiculous with your peacocks.
HEROD

Be silent! You cry out always; you cry out like a beast of prey. You must not. Your
voice wearies me. Be silent, I say Salomé, think of what you are doing. This man
comes perchance from God. He is a holy man. The finger of God has touched him.
God has put into his mouth terrible words. In the palace as in the desert God is
always with him.... At least it is possible. One does not know. It is possible that God
is for him and with him. Furthermore, if he died some misfortune might happen to
me. In any case, he said that the day he dies a misfortune will happen to some one.
That could only be to me. Remember, I slipped in blood when I entered. Also, I
heard a beating of wings in the air, a beating of mighty wings. These are very evil
omens, and there were others. I am sure there were others though I did not see
them. Well, Salomé, you do not wish a misfortune to happen to me? You do not
wish that. Listen to me, then.
SALOMÉ
Give me the head of Jokanaan.
HEROD
Ah! you are not listening to me. Be calm. I—I am calm. I am quite calm. Listen. I
have jewels hidden in this place—jewels that your mother even has never seen;
jewels that are marvellous. I have a collar of pearls, set in four rows. They are like
unto moons chained with rays of silver. They are like fifty moons caught in a
golden net. On the ivory of her breast a queen has worn it. Thou shalt be as fair as a
queen when thou wearest it. I have amethysts of two kinds, one that is black like
wine, and one that is red like wine which has been coloured with water. I have
topazes, yellow as are the eyes of tigers, and topazes that are pink as the eyes of a
wood-pigeon, and green topazes that are as the eyes of cats. I have opals that burn
always, with an icelike flame, opals that make sad men's minds, and are fearful of
the shadows. I have onyxes like the eyeballs of a dead woman. I have moonstones
that change when the moon changes, and are wan when they see the sun. I have
sapphires big like eggs, and as blue as blue flowers. The sea wanders within them
and the moon comes never to trouble the blue of their waves. I have chrysolites and
beryls and chrysoprases and rubies. I have sardonyx and hyacinth stones, and
stones of chalcedony, and I will give them all to you, all, and other things will I add
to them. The King of the Indies has but even now sent me four fans fashioned from
the feathers of parrots, and the King of Numidia a garment of ostrich feathers. I
have a crystal, into which it is not lawful for a woman to look, nor may young men
behold it until they have been beaten with rods. In a coffer of nacre I have three
wondrous turquoises. He who wears them on his forehead can imagine things
which are not, and he who carries them in his hand can make women sterile. These
are great treasures above all price. They are treasures without price. But this is not
all. In an ebony coffer I have two cups of amber, that are like apples of gold. If an

enemy pour poison into these cups, they become like an apple of silver. In a coffer
incrusted with amber I have sandals incrusted with glass. I have mantles that have
been brought from the land of the Seres, and bracelets decked about with
carbuncles and with jade that come from the city of Euphrates.... What desirest thou
more than this, Salomé? Tell me the thing that thou desirest, and I will give it thee.
All that thou askest I will give thee, save one thing. I will give thee all that is mine,
save one life. I will give thee the mantle of the high priest. I will give thee the veil
of the sanctuary.
THE JEWS
Oh! oh!
SALOMÉ
Give me the head of Jokanaan.
HEROD
[Sinking back in his seat]. Let her be given what she asks! Of a truth she is her
mother's child! [The first Soldier approaches. Herodias draws from the hand of the
Tetrarch the ring of death and gives it to the Soldier, who straightway bears it to the
Executioner. The Executioner looks scared.] Who has taken my ring? There was a
ring on my right hand. Who has drunk my wine? There was wine in my cup. It was
full of wine. Someone has drunk it! Oh! surely some evil will befall some one. [The
Executioner goes down into the cistern.] Ah! Wherefore did I give my oath? Kings
ought never to pledge their word. If they keep it not, it is terrible, and if they keep
it, it is terrible also.
HERODIAS
My daughter has done well.
HEROD
I am sure that some misfortune will happen.
SALOMÉ
[She leans over the cistern and listens.]
There is no sound. I hear nothing. Why does he not cry out, this man? Ah! if any
man sought to kill me, I would cry out, I would struggle, I would not suffer....
Strike, strike, Naaman, strike, I tell you.... No, I hear nothing. There is a silence, a
terrible silence. Ah! something has fallen upon the ground. I heard something fall.
It is the sword of the headsman. He is afraid, this slave. He has let his sword fall.
He dare not kill him. He is a coward, this slave! Let soldiers be sent. [She sees the
Page of Herodias and addresses him.] Come hither, thou wert the friend of him

who is dead, is it not so? Well, I tell thee, there are not dead men enough. Go to the
soldiers and bid them go down and bring me the thing I ask, the thing the Tetrarch
has promised me, the thing that is mine. [The Page recoils. She turns to the
soldiers.] Hither, ye soldiers. Get ye down into this cistern and bring me the head of
this man. [The Soldiers recoil.] Tetrarch, Tetrarch, command your soldiers that they
bring me the head of Jokanaan.
[A huge black arm, the arm of the Executioner, comes forth from the cistern,
bearing on a silver shield the head of Jokanaan. Salomé seizes it. Herod hides his
face with his cloak. Herodias smiles and fans herself. The Nazarenes fall on their
knees and begin to pray.]
Ah! thou wouldst not suffer me to kiss thy mouth, Jokanaan. Well! I will kiss it
now. I will bite it with my teeth as one bites a ripe fruit. Yes, I will kiss thy mouth,
Jokanaan. I said it; did I not say it? I said it. Ah! I will kiss it now.... But, wherefore
dost thou not look at me, Jokanaan? Thine eyes that were so terrible, so full of rage
and scorn, are shut now. Wherefore are they shut? Open thine eyes! Lift up thine
eyelids, Jokanaan! Wherefore dost thou not look at me? Art thou afraid of me,
Jokanaan, that thou wilt not look at me?... And thy tongue, that was like a red snake
darting poison, it moves no more, it says nothing now, Jokanaan, that scarlet viper
that spat its venom upon me. It is strange, is it not? How is it that the red viper stirs
no longer?... Thou wouldst have none of me, Jokanaan. Thou didst reject me. Thou
didst speak evil words against me. Thou didst treat me as a harlot, as a wanton, me,
Salomé, daughter of Herodias, Princess of Judæa! Well, Jokanaan, I still live, but
thou, thou art dead, and thy head belongs to me. I can do with it what I will. I can
throw it to the dogs and to the birds of the air. That which the dogs leave, the birds
of the air shall devour.... Ah, Jokanaan, Jokanaan, thou wert the only man that I
have loved. All other men are hateful to me. But thou, thou wert beautiful! Thy
body was a column of ivory set on a silver socket. It was a garden full of doves and
of silver lilies. It was a tower of silver decked with shields of ivory. There was
nothing in the world so white as thy body. There was nothing in the world so black
as thy hair. In the whole world there was nothing so red as thy mouth. Thy voice
was a censer that scattered strange perfumes, and when I looked on thee I heard a
strange music. Ah! wherefore didst thou not look at me, Jokanaan? Behind thine
hands and thy curses thou didst hide thy face. Thou didst put upon thine eyes the
covering of him who would see his God. Well, thou hast seen thy God, Jokanaan,
but me, me, thou didst never see. If thou hadst seen me thou wouldst have loved
me. I, I saw thee, Jokanaan, and I loved thee. Oh, how I loved thee! I love thee yet,
Jokanaan, I love thee only.... I am athirst for thy beauty; I am hungry for thy body;
and neither wine nor fruits can appease my desire. What shall I do now, Jokanaan?
Neither the floods nor the great waters can quench my passion. I was a princess,
and thou didst scorn me. I was a virgin, and thou didst take my virginity from me. I

was chaste, and thou didst fill my veins with fire.... Ah! ah! wherefore didst thou
not look at me, Jokanaan? If thou hadst looked at me thou hadst loved me. Well I
know that thou wouldst have loved me, and the mystery of love is greater than the
mystery of death. Love only should one consider.

HEROD
She is monstrous, thy daughter, she is altogether monstrous. In truth, what she has
done is a great crime. I am sure that it was a crime against an unknown God.
HERODIAS
I approve of what my daughter has done. And I will stay here now.

HEROD
[Rising].
Ah! There speaks the incestuous wife! Come! I will not stay here. Come, I tell thee.
Surely some terrible thing will befall. Manasseh, Issachar, Ozias, put out the
torches. I will not look at things, I will not suffer things to look at me. Put out the
torches! Hide the moon! Hide the stars! Let us hide ourselves in our palace,
Herodias. I begin to be afraid.
[The slaves put out the torches. The stars disappear. A great black cloud crosses the
moon and conceals it completely. The stage becomes very dark. The Tetrarch
begins to climb the staircase.]
THE VOICE OF SALOMÉ
Ah! I have kissed thy mouth, Jokanaan, I have kissed thy mouth. There was a bitter
taste on thy lips. Was it the taste of blood?... But perchance it is the taste of love....
They say that love hath a bitter taste.... But what of that? what of that? I have kissed
thy mouth, Jokanaan.
[A moonbeam falls on Salomé covering her with light.]
HEROD
[Turning round and seeing Salomé.]
Kill that woman!
[The soldiers rush forward and crush beneath their shields Salomé, daughter of
Herodias, Princess of Judæa.]
CURTAIN.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SALOMÉ: A
TRAGEDY IN ONE ACT ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will
be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright royalties.
Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license,
apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic
works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and
trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not
be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of
the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project
Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this
eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may
use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative
works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks
may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically
ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S.
copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license,
especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG™ LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or
any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
Gutenberg License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing
Project Gutenberg electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg electronic
work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept
all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
all copies of Project Gutenberg electronic works in your possession. If
you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg
electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this
agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom
you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people
who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg electronic
works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the
Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the

collection of Project Gutenberg electronic works. Nearly all the
individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the
United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in
the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg mission of promoting free
access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg works
in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project
Gutenberg name associated with the work. You can easily comply with
the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format
with its attached full Project Gutenberg License when you share it
without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
access to, the full Project Gutenberg License must appear prominently
whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg work (any work on which
the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase
“Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed,
viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License included with

this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located
in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the
country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg electronic work is derived
from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a
notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright
holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United
States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or
providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”
associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with
the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain
permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg License for all works posted
with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of
this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide
access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg work in a format
other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official

version posted on the official Project Gutenberg website
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of
obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain
Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg electronic works provided
that:

• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the
use of Project Gutenberg works calculated using the method you
already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the
owner of the Project Gutenberg trademark, but he has agreed to donate
royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days
following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to
prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly
marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about
donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”

• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does
not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You
must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works
possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all
access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.

• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
receipt of the work.

• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution
of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™
electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth
in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the
Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the
Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in
Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend
considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and
proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the
Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be
stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete,
inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES -
Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in
paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation,
the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party
distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this
agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and
expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO
REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH
OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE
FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY
DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT,
CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES

EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you
discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it,
you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by
sending a written explanation to the person you received the work
from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return
the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that
provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a
replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work
electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to
give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu
of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a
refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in
paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If
any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law
of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the
Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the
Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™
electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any
volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution
of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability,
costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly
from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a)

distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg work, (b) alteration,
modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg work,
and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project
Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg’s goals
and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg collection will remain freely
available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and
permanent future for Project Gutenberg and future generations. To
learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and
the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state
of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue
Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is
64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S.
federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 41 Watchung Plaza
#516, Montclair NJ 07042, USA, +1 (862) 621-9288. Email contact

links and up to date contact information can be found at the
Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without
widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small
donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax
exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States.
Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable
effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these
requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have
not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular
state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg
electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg
concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project
Gutenberg eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility:
www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg, including
how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.