"The Fly" by William Blake

William Blake was born on 28th November 1757 and died on 12th August 1827. He was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His work “Songs of experience and of innocence” is famous.

In first stanza poet is addressing a fly, whom he just killed thoughtlessly. The fly is buzzing in summer and speaker, without giving his though another chance just killed the fly.

In second stanza speaker is comparing himself with the fly. He asks the questions such as, am I not a fly like you? Or are you not a man like me? Here speaker’s comparison seems so weird and meaningless.

In third stanza speaker elaborate his way of comparing his life with fly. He says that he also dance, drink and sing same like a fly. Further he says that he will keep doing all those things until some blind or thoughtless hand will kill him, same way he killed the fly. Here speaker is referring to god, when he says blind hand. In this stanza poet is talking about the helplessness which human has front of god. The fly feels helpless front of human and can’t stop any hand coming to kill it, same way humans are helpless front of god, as they also can’t stop god’s hand coming to kill them.

In next stanza speaker talks about the thoughts. He says that though is life, breath and strength. Without ability of thinking, human’s life would have been miserable. One can not imagine a life where there is no thinking. But here speaker says that thinking also leads to the thoughts of death. Those thoughts of death are killing people from inside. Because of those danger thoughts people forget to live in present moment and don’t live happily. Then here speaker is talking about living in present moment and not over thinking about future and worries of future.

In last stanza speaker says that, if he started living the life in present moment, then he also will be like a happy fly. If he is living in present moment and he is living happily then it will not matter if he live or dies. In this last stanza poet says that if he is happy in present moment then if death comes suddenly, he will not regret it. He will be happy in both ways, either he lives or dies.

The poem has been divided into 5 stanzas having four lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABCB.

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