Ulrike Draesner

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Translated by Iain Galbraith

your coming was in parts
that soon tipped the balance, a leaving,
because this coming, yours, was only
a part of itself, of its meaning,
which was, from the beginning, a coming
in parts, though this was not transparent,
not to begin with, not to me,

but what came, when you came, was only
a part of yourself, because that, from the beginning,
had been part of the meaning of your coming
which is to say that this
coming in part of parts was part
of the meaning of
your coming and leaving,
because the meaning of your coming
was, from the beginning, all but a partial meaning,
namely this, your going, in parts.