"I Heard a Fly Buzz..."
I heard a Fly buzz — when I died --
The Stillness in the Room Was like the Stillness in the Air -- Between the Heaves of Storm -- The Eyes around — had wrung them dry -- And Breaths were gathering firm For that last Onset — when the King Be witnessed — in his Room -- |
I willed my Keepsakes — Signed away
What portions of me be Assignable — and then it was There interposed a Fly -- With Blue — uncertain stumbling Buzz -- Between the light — and me -- And then the Windows failed — and then I could not see to see -- |
"I Heard a Fly Buzz..." is a rather morbid poem about the thoughts of a dying person in her last moments. Death and the afterlife and sight were common themes of Dickinson's poetry, and this is the most famous example of such poems. The unique subject matter and syntax of this poem are trademark for Dickinson's canon; she was very casual about dying, using a conversational tone to describe what was essentially regarded as taboo in the nineteenth century. Her tone and syntax enhance the emotion of the speaker and the lack thereof in some sections, which ultimately serve to reduce the meaning of the poem to become literary understatement—through her macabre indifference in the scene, the speaker reveals the typical, shallow human response to impending death, both for the one dying and their loved ones—"The Eyes around." The first and fourth stanzas are from the perspective of the person on the deathbed, who is focused on details, not really reflecting on death as would be expected; those lackadaisical, superficial thoughts enhance the true reason why death should be feared: the loss of sight. The middle stanzas reveal the materialism and selfishness of those surrounding the dying speaker, which also enhances the warning against losing "sight." Overall, "I Heard a Fly Buzz" is the epitome of Dickinson's work: themes of sight and death, casual tone, and broken, dashed syntax; all of those come together to form a criticism of human nature.