七

希罗底︰不；没有风。

希律王︰我说有风吹拂……我还听到空中有翅膀拍动的声音，就像是一对巨大羽翼的振动。妳听到了吗？

希罗底︰我没听到。

希律王︰我现在听不到。不过我刚刚听见了。毫无疑问，就是由于翅膀振动而引起那股风。它已经远离。不对，我又听见了。妳没听到吗？就像是翅膀拍动的声音。

希罗底︰我告诉你，没有什么东西在动。你病了。我们进去室内吧。

希律王︰我没有病。是妳的女儿病了。她面露病容。我从未见过她如此苍白。

希罗底︰我告诉过你不要看着她。

希律王︰斟酒。〔酒送来。〕莎乐美，来和我一起喝点酒。我这儿有些高级的酒。西泽本人送来的好酒。将几滴酒倒入妳的红唇里，而我则是一口干杯。

莎乐美︰我不渴，陛下。

希律王︰妳听到她如何回答我的话吗，妳的女儿？

希罗底︰带水果来。〔水果送来。〕莎乐美，来和我吃些水果。我喜欢见妳的齿间咬着水果。轻咬一口，我会吃妳所留下的部分。

莎乐美︰我不饿，陛下。

希律王〔向希罗底〕︰妳看看，妳的女儿居然是这样带大的。

希罗底︰我的女儿和我出身贵族。而你，你的父亲只不过是个赶骆驼的人。他还是个强盗！

希律王︰妳说谎！

希罗底︰你知道这是事实。

希律王︰莎乐美，过来坐在我身边。我要赐予妳母亲的宝座。

莎乐美︰我不累，陛下。

希罗底︰你瞧她对你的感觉。

希律王︰给我——我要什么？我忘了。啊！啊！我想起来了。

约翰的声音︰啰！时刻来临了！我预言的事情，上帝所说的，将要实现。啰！我宣示的那一天来了。

希罗底︰叫他安静！我不想听到这声音。这个人不断地对我施以侮蔑与诽谤。

希律王︰他不曾出言反对过妳。此外，他还是位伟大的先知。

希罗底︰我不信他是个先知。有人能够预先宣布什么事将发生吗？永远没有人知道。更进一步地，他一直不断侮辱我。但我认为你怕他……我清楚地知道你怕他。

希律王︰我对他毫无恐惧。我对任何人都不感恐惧。

希罗底︰我告诉你，你怕他。如果你不怕他的话，为何你不将他送给那群犹太人，却让他在这儿吵嚷了六个多月？

犹太人︰是的，王上，最好将他送到我们的手里。

希律王︰这个话题谈得够多了。我早有了结论。我不会将他送到你们手里。他是个圣人。他是见过神的人。

犹太人︰不可能。没有人见过神，除了先知伊莱贾之外。他是最后一位见过神的人。这些日子以来神不再现身。祂隐藏了。因此大魔鬼来到了人间。

另一位犹太人︰的确，没有人能够知道先知伊莱贾是否真地见到了神。或许他只不过见到神的影子。

第三犹太人︰神无时无刻不隐身。祂无时无刻都现身。神也在被称为恶的事物之中，即使祂本身是好的。

第四犹太人︰不能如此说。这是非常危险的学说。那是从亚历山大城的学校传来的学说，那儿的人就像希腊人一般地教授哲学。希腊人是异教徒。他们甚至未施过割礼。

第五犹太人︰没有人能够知道神是如何运作的。祂的道路非常神秘。可能我们称为恶的事物却是善的，而我们称为善的事物却是恶的。我们无法了解任何事。我们必须顺从一切，因为神是强大的。祂可以轻易地摧毁我们称为坚强的东西，因为祂并不重视任何人。

第一犹太人︰你说的对。神是可怕的；祂能摧毁坚强，而我们人类就像泥灰一般脆弱。但这个人绝对未曾见过神。自从先知伊莱贾之后，没有人见过神。

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. It has passed away. But no, I hear it again. Do you not hear it? It is just like a 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 to death. Never have I seen her so pale.

HERODIAS

I have told you not to look at her.

-32-

HEROD

Pour me forth wine. [Wine is brought.]

Salome, come drink a little wine with me. I have here a wine that is exquisite. C?sar himself sent it me. Dip into it thy little red lips, that I may drain the cup.

SALOME

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.]

Salome, come and eat fruits with me. I love to see in a fruit the mark of thy little teeth. Bite but a little of this fruit, that I may eat what is left.

SALOME

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

-33-

for thee, thy father was a camel driver! He was a thief and a robber to boot!

HEROD

Thou liest!

HERODIAS

Thou knowest well that it is true.

HEROD

Salome, come and sit next to me. I will give thee the throne of thy mother.

SALOME

I am not tired, Tetrarch.

HERODIAS

You see in what regard she holds you.

HEROD

Bring me -- What is it that I desire? I forget. Ah! ah! I remember.

THE VOICE OF IOKANAAN

Behold the time is come! That which I foretold has come to pass. The day that I spake of is at hand.

HERODIAS

Bid him be silent. I will not listen to his voice. This man is for ever hurling insults against me.

-34-

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. Also 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

-35-

who saw God face to face. In these days God doth not show Himself. God 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 all places. God is in what is evil even as He is in what is good.

A FOURTH JEW

Thou shouldst not say that. It is a very dangerous doctrine. It is a doctrine that cometh from Alexandria, where men teach the philosophy of the Greeks. And the Greeks are Gentiles. They are not even circumcised.

FIFTH JEW

No man can tell how God worketh. His ways are very dark. 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 anything. We can but bow our heads to His will, for God is very strong. He breaketh in pieces the strong together with the weak, for He regardeth not any man.

FIRST JEW

Thou speakest truly. Verily, God is terrible.

-36-

He breaketh in pieces the strong and the weak as men break corn in a mortar. But as for this man, he hath never seen God. No man hath seen God since the prophet Elias.