Humanless

by Ingeborg Bachmann

Ingeborg Bachmann

Enchanted cloud castle in which we drift...
Who knows if we haven't been through many heavens
so draw with glazed eyes?
We, exiled in time
and kicked out of the room
we, flyers through the night and bottomless.

Who knows if we haven't already flown for God
and because we foamed like an arrow without seeing him
and our seeds flung on,
to live on in even darker generations,
driving guilty now?

Who knows if we haven't been dying for a long, long time?
The cloud ball with us strives higher and higher.
The thin air is already paralyzing your hands today,
and if the voice breaks and our breath stops...?
Does enchantment remain for the last few moments?





Last updated October 31, 2022