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 portion 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-
Once again we have a meditation on death, or more precisely on the moment of dying. The opening líne is striking; the speaker is addressing us from the next life. Similarly, the third stanza is out of sequence: a will is normally drawn up before the onset of death. The effect of these events being presented out of sequence is to disturb us. However, this uneasiness is mild in comparison to the overall effect of the poem. What Dickinson is describing here is commonly referred to as the “Death-Watch”. Dickinson portrays the solemnity of the occasion: the “Stillness in the Room” is likened to that “Between the Heaves of Storm”, i.e. an occasion that commands our respect. The crying has stopped and everyone is bracing themselves for the "last Onset- when the King- Be witnessed-in the Room". Such awe and reverence is suggested by that line that we wonder is the "King" Death or Christ. It it now that the out of sequence third stanza throws us off balance; this confusion is compounded by the interposition of a "Fly"- and then it was
There interposed a Fly-
It shocks us. We were expecting the King but what we get is a blue-bottle fly. The absurdity of a blue-bottle replacing the "King" is mischievous at best, blasphemous at worst. The "Fly" feeds on carrion! Worse still, the fly buzzes "With Blue- uncertain stumbling Buzz-
Between the light -and me-"
The light is traditionally a symbol of spirituality, of life after death. Here the fly obscures the light, cutting the dying poet off from her vision of what is to come, if anything other than decay: "And then the Windows failed -and then
I could not see to see-"
Is Dickinson saying that there is no order to our world, that we simply like to pretend there is? Is this why the fly is described as "uncertain, stumbling" ? The verb "interposed" also raises questions. We read "There interposed". What does this mean? There is no subject governing the verb, i.e. we are not told if someone or some force interposed the fly between the dying poet and the light. The fly may have interposed (itself) of its own volition, though "stumbling" seems to contradict this. Some cynics see the fly as the Devil (Beelzebub is often referred to as "Lord of the Flies"). I think the last interpretation is far-fetched.
Be aware of the above points, and form your own judgment, but make certain that your judgment can be supported by the poem.