“Can you hear me? (Pause.) Yes, you must hear me. (Pause.) To answer me? (Pause.) No, you don’t answer me. (Pause.) Just be with me. (Pause.)”

Yes. These are Henry’s words in Beckett’s Embers(1). Let him continue a little as he goes on: “That sound you hear is the sea. (Pause. Louder.) I say that sound you hear is the sea, we are sitting on the strand. (Pause.) I mention it because the sound is so strange, so unlike the sound of the sea, that if you didn’t see what it was you wouldn’t know what it was. (Pause.)” No. That is clearly water. (Pause.) I say this is clearly the sea, not Henry. (Pause.) Actually, not. This is clearly liquid. Sea, river, pond, bay, cape, channel, cove, delta, estuary, gulf, lagoon, lake, marsh, ocean, shoal, spring, stream, swamp, pond, strait, sound, source? (Pause)
Now it crackles. Layers of small grains crackling. Is this liquid ? (Pause.)

Henry, can you hear me? (Pause.) Yes, you must hear me. (Pause.) To answer me? (Pause.) No, you don’t answer me. (Pause.) Just be with me. (Pause.)

1: Samuel Beckett, Embers.

「你聽見我的聲音嗎?(暫停。)對, 你一定聽到。(暫停。)回答我?(暫停。)不，你沒有回答我(暫停。)只要和我一起。(暫停。)」

是的。這是薩繆爾．貝克特(Samuel Beckett)的《終局》(Embere)[1]中，亨利的話語。讓他繼續說多一點:「你聽到的是海洋的聲音。(暫停，更大聲。)我說你聽到的聲音是海洋的聲音，我們坐在岸邊。(暫停。)我提及這聲音，是因為它很奇特，聽上來不像海洋的聲音，如果你不看眼前景色的話，你不會知到它是甚麼。」

不，這很清楚是水。(暫停。)我說這一定是水，不是亨利(暫停。)其實，也不是。這很清楚是液體。海，河流，池塘，灣岸，岬，水道，小灣，三角洲，河口，海灣，潟湖，湖泊，沼澤，大洋，沙洲，水泉，溪，沼澤，池塘，海峽，聲音，源頭？(暫停。)現在它劈啪作響。漸層紋理中發出劈瀝啪啦的聲音。這是液體嗎？(暫停。)

亨利，你聽到我嗎? (暫停。)是的，你一定聽到我。(暫停。)回答我? (暫停。)

不，你沒有回答我。(暫停。) 只要陪著我。(暫停。)

[1] 薩繆爾．貝克特貝克特(Samuel Beckett)，《終局》(Embere) 。