At several points in "Salome," alliteration creates sounds that mimic the poem's tone and content. Take, for example, lines 17-20, in which Salome describes the cheerful, calming presence of her maid:
And, indeed, her innocent clatter
of cups and plates,
her clearing of clutter,
her regional patter,
The repetition of bold /c/ and /p/ sounds evokes the clinking of dishes and the maid's charming chatter. Alliteration gives the passage a bright, sparkling music, which contrasts with (and suggests Salome's cold indifference toward) the horror in this bedchamber: John the Baptist's decapitated body.
Alliteration becomes prominent again in lines 28-31, as Salome, having sworn off sex and partying, declares:
it was time to turf out the blighter,
the beater or biter,
who'd come like a lamb to the slaughter
to Salome's bed.
Her dismissal of John the Baptist as a "blighter," "beater," and "biter" implies that he's a violent, despicable man. The harsh, plosive /b/ sounds help convey her contempt for him; it's as if she's spitting these words at him in anger. Repeating /t/ and /s/ sounds make the lines sound even more emphatic. The percussive alliteration captures the brutality of which she's accusing John—the words themselves fall like blows.