馬丁. 布伯 Martin Buber
《相遇 :自傳的片簡 Begegnung: Autobiographische Fragmente》 (1960)

13: 手杖和樹

我趁著落日餘暉一路走到山坡下，在一片草地邊緣停下來，找個安穩的地方，讓夕陽灑在我身上。我不需要什麼支撐，不過想找個固定點讓我站得久一點，於是用手杖抵著一棵橡樹的樹樁。

接著我便感覺到和存有者的雙重接觸：我手裡的手杖，以及它和樹皮接觸的地方。顯然只是在我所在之處，然而我卻在感覺樹木的地方也感覺到我自己。

就在那個瞬間，對話出現在我眼前。因為只要人的語言是真實的語言，它就和手杖沒有兩樣，那意味著它是真正的攀談。就在我所在之處，語言的神經節和器官幫助我形成且說出語詞，我在這裡「意指」那個和我說話的人，我對他有個意向，這個不容替換的人。

可是在他所在之處，我的某個東西被派到那裡，某個本質上完全不是實質性的事物，而是純粹的震動而且無法理解的；那個事物一直在他那裡，那個被我意指的人，領受了我的話語。於是我擁抱著我所指向的那個人。

13. THE WALKING STICK AND THE TREE

After a descent during which I had to utilize without a halt the late light of a dying day, I stood on the edge of a meadow, now sure of the safe way, and let the twilight come down upon me. Not needing a support and yet willing to afford my lingering a fixed point, I pressed my walking stick against a trunk of an oak tree.

Then I felt in twofold fashion my contact with being: here, where I held the stick, and there, where it touched the bark. Apparently only where I was, I nonetheless found myself there too where I found the tree.

At that time dialogue appeared to me. For the speech of man is like that stick wherever it is genuine speech, and that means: truly directed address. Here, where I am, where ganglia and organs of speech help me to form and to send forth the word, here I “mean” him to whom I send it, I intend him, this one unexchangeable man.

But also there, where he is, something of me is delegated, something that is not at all substantial in nature like that being here, rather pure vibration and incomprehensible; that remains there, with him, the man meant by me, and takes part in the receiving of my word. I encompass him to whom I turn.