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Salomé is a tragedy in one act by Oscar Wilde. Because the play depicts biblical characters, it was banned in Britain and was not performed publicly there until 1931. However, the play became popular in Germany, where its translation formed the basis of an opera by composer Richard Strauss, with music for the "Dance of the Seven Veils". The play was also produced as a 1922 silent film.
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. The moon is shining very brightly.
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. One might 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. One might fancy she was dancing.
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