Salome

Posted: November 27th, 2013

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Salome

Salome is a poem, which was written by Juan Calvino. It has fourteen lines. The words in all the three stanzas have five to six letters. Salome is a horrifying poem with vague meaning but if examined clearly, it can provide varied meanings. However, the poem can be rooted back during the era of Herod who was the ruler of Galilee. The poem can be understood basing on the biblical context. It is a Christian myth because Salome was Herod’s daughter. There is much more beyond the meaning of the poem thus the history behind leads one into a deeper meaning of the poem.

The first stanza is straight and factual because the author did not hide the meaning of the words. From line one through line four, Calvino brings out the issue of love affairs (Calvino, line 4). In line one, the author comments on the way Salome kept her lover in her room. In line two, he emphasizes the way she did not let her lover get out of the room. This is an indication that her lover was dead, and it is clearly indicated in line three whereby we are being told that it was only the head, which was kept in her room.

The second stanza provides a realistic meaning of what Salome did to her lover. While in her room, she tried to teach as well as show him how he should love. From the first line and second line, Salome stops dressing and turns to her lover. This is where the author tries to bring out the issue of love affairs, but the poem itself is a terrible one (Calvino, line 2). This is because of Salome’s love actions towards the head of a human being that she kept in her room. In addition, line three explains the way Salome tried to seduce her lover. She powders his shadowy face in an attempt of showing him love. In line four of stanza two, Salome tries to coach his lover the way he should make love thus the author takes us into line five where he lays him on the bed in an attempt to make love.

The third stanza explains the way Salome tries to make love with her lover. This is an indistinguishable poem because making love with the head is quite unimaginable. In line two of this stanza, the bed groans meaning that the bed is used as imagery. In line three, Salome rasps her lover’s name and this explains the way she felt furious towards her lover (Calvino, line 3). This clearly explained in line four and five whereby Salome yelled towards her lover.

In conclusion, the poem tries to explain the love affairs between Salome and her lover. It indicates Salome’s immoral and horrible behaviors of trying to seduce someone who does not exist. This poem takes us back to the biblical teachings during the era of sovereignty of King Herod. After dancing well to the king, he demanded John the Baptist’s head as a present. Thus, the poem is horrifying because of the way every stanza portrays Salome’s actions.

Work cited

Calvino, Juan. Salome. New York, NY: Dover, 1981. Musical score. Print