I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died: Translation and Analysis

"I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died"

Author: Emily Dickinson

Written: 1863

Published by: Emily's sister in 1896 (after Emily Dickinson died).

Poem in a nutshell: "The Devil dragged my ass to Hell"

Original Text

Modern Translation

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 the 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 buzzing when I died and the silence in the room was like the silence that you hear during the “in-between” breaths people take when they are crying. People cried until they couldn't anymore and were catching their breath when I saw the Devil. I had willed everything away—at least what I could—when a fly came into the room. Blue and buzzing, it got in the way between Heaven and me, and then my eyes closed and I could not see.

Poem Summary: Original Text

In the first stanza, the narrator states that she heard a fly buzzing when she died. (Pretty straight-forward). She then describes the stillness or silence in the room to be comparable to the tension in a room filled with mourners. The pause between the drawing of breath emulates this stillness/silence.

In the second stanza, the narrator states that the mourners have cried until their eyes have become dry (they can't cry anymore) and they are regaining their composure. This is when the narrator, dying but not dead, sees the King aka Beezlebub aka the Devil (I'll explain this later).

In the third stanza, the narrator says that she has willed everything away when a fly comes buzzing into the room.

The final stanza describes how the fly (aka the Devil) comes for the narrator as she dies.

Analysis:

• In order to understand why the "King" in line 7 is the Devil and not God, you must first understand the significance of the fly.
• The fly is significant in the poem because, generally speaking, flies eat rotten/dead meat and the narrator will soon be dead.
• From a Biblical lens, the King of Flies was Beezlebub, a demon who was often associated with the Devil or as the Devil. 
• So, when the line reads "And then the Windows failed..." this is a reference to the Window to Heaven/ the Gate to Heaven. As the narrator dies and her eyes (windows to the soul) close, she becomes shut out of Heaven as the Devil takes her soul to Hell.
• Another important aspect of the poem is Onomatopoeia
• Dickinson creates the effect of a fly buzzing--the thrumming "b" and "zzz" sound--by using words like: buzz, eyes, blue, heaves

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If You Were Coming in the Fall: Translation & Summary

"If You Were Coming in the Fall"

Author: Emily Dickinson

Written: Between 1860 and 1866 CE

Published by: It was not until 1955 CE that all of Dickinson's work was published in one collection.

What is the poem about? Love, separation, anxiety, doubt, and dread. The poem explores how the absence of a loved one can take a psychological toll on someone.

Tone: Uncertainty, doubt, anxiety, distress, yearning/longing

Poem in a nutshell: "I don't care how long you will be gone, as long as you will return to me and we can be together forever."

Melancholy lady awaiting her the return of her lover.

Original Text	Modern Day Translation
If you were coming in the Fall, I'd brush the Summer by With half a smile, and half a spurn, As Housewives do, a Fly.	If you were coming back to me in the Fall, I'd go through Summer happy, with a smile on my face like when a housewife kills a fly.
If I could see you in a year, I'd wind the months in balls -- And put them each in separate Drawers, For fear the numbers fuse --	If you were to return to me in a year, I'd compartmentalize the months into smaller units like balls of yarn and place them each I separate draws, in fear that the our time apart would somehow become larger.
If only Centuries, delayed, I'd count them on my Hand, Subtracting, till my fingers dropped Into Van Dieman's Land.	If you were coming back to me in a matter of centuries, I'd count the centuries on the fingers, subtracting them one by one until they all fall to Tasmania (or Australia).
If certain, when this life was out -- That yours and mine, should be I'd toss it yonder, like a Rind, And take Eternity --	If I were certain that we could be together in death, I'd take my own life.
But, now, uncertain of the length Of this, that is between, It goads me, like the Goblin Bee -- That will not state -- its sting.	But, as I'm not sure of when you will come back to me, the doubt of your return taunts and hurts me like the sting of a bee.

Poem Summary

The poem is about a woman in distress as she awaits the return of her lover. As her lover's absence increases, so does the woman's doubt increase. She contemplates suicide, briefly, but brushes it aside when she realizes that her reunion with her lover can never be certain.

Break Down by Stanza

 

STANZA ONE

The speaker dismisses the importance of how long her lover may be absent by trivializing it. She brushes off his absence for the duration of summer as a housewife would shoo away or kill a fly.

STANZA TWO

The speaker breaks down time to be more manageable. A year is reduced to months—a smaller unit—and those are compared to balls of yarn to be stored separately. Storing them separately is like counting off individual units, making them more manageable and giving her a sense of control.

STANZA THREE

She minimizes the length of a century by using the word “only” with it. Also, she uses her fingers instead of balls of yarn as another way to handle time in smaller, more manageable units. She calls his absence “delayed,” implying he will eventually return. The reference to Van Diemen's Land indicates someplace far away. It is the old name for Tasmania.

STANZA FOUR

The fourth stanza introduces the concept of eternity/timelessness. She would willingly die if her reunion with her beloved was certain. She compares her mortal life to a rind. As a rind is the skin that protects the fruit, so does her body protect or encase her spirit/soul—the essence which would continue after death. 

STANZA FIVE

The previous stanzas were hypothetical—indicated by the word “if” in the beginning of each line. In this stanza, the speaker is in the present. She deals with her reality which is frightening. She calls time “uncertain” because she doesn't know what it is or what is is going to bring (in regard to her and her lover) in the future. 

Her ignorance or unawareness concerning time “goads” her. She claims that a bee threatens with it's sting but time's threat is even greater because it is unstated. It leaves her in uncertainty, doubt, and distress. The degree of threat which time presents is suggested by the word “goblin,” implying a sense of mischief or evil.

Important Notes 

•  Four of the stanzas begin with "if," indicating uncertainty.

 

• We assume that the speaker is a woman due to domestic metaphors, such as the housewife and fly as well as the balls of yarn.

 

• The time of absence in regard to the speakers lover becomes larger as the poem progresses: FALL --> YEAR ---> CENTURIES ---> ETERNITY. As a result, the speaker's doubt increases progressively from brushing it off to thinking that she might possibly never see her beloved again.

• In the fourth stanza, there is a tension and irony in the juxtaposition of "If" and "certain." 

• Dickinson varies the poem to avoid a metronomic effect. She uses enjambment and punctuation (the dashes) to achieve this. 

Need More Help or Information?

Here are two VERY helpful websites for those of you who are looking for a bit more information or need a little extra help in deciphering the poem:

http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/fall.html 

http://www.eliteskills.com/c/4608  (Look to the comments section for help/info).

What is your take on the poem?