"Oh, The Perfect Darling!" The Silenced Voice of an 1840s Young Lady: Dramatic Performance / Shannon Ratchuk
Oh, the perfect Darling, that's what I must be
A silly little doll expected to silently read or sew as if the outside world doesn't excite me
There is an entire world out there, just beyond the window, that's completely unknown to me
It's all quite ridiculous
Quickly now, no time to lose, everything must be perfect.
Father will want me to sing, mother will force me to converse with old men
Honestly, they're all so boring, and to think one of them is to be my husband
The husband for which I have no word in choosing
Oh and I loathe being treated like a child
Why must I always be chaperoned
I don't understand what could possibly happen simply because someone isn't there keeping an eye on me.
I have so many expectations, too many pressures
Don't say anything intrusive, don't be absurd
Don't forget to smile.
Oh, and I can't forget tea at 4 o'clock, just like the queen mother says, just like the queen
Well, everything must be perfect.
My brother Harold gets to do what pleases him
He can go riding in pants to god knows where, meeting up with lord knows who, completely undetected.
I want to go riding in pants and see who I want, whenever I want
Oh, no, I have to wear skirts and ride side-saddle
Side-saddle--it's horrendously uncomfortable, and not as easy as it looks
Even so, it's only Harold and I, no sisters
It's all up to me, they depend on me.
The only daughter of a wealthy English family
Therefore, everything must be perfect.
Oh, my, fix that plate, move the drapes, and that pillow is not fluffed enough
I'm not quite ready for all this
I'm not sure if I can handle this lifestyle
It's all so overwhelming
I wish I had help, I wish I had freedom
I can't breathe in this corset, I can't breathe at all
I think I'm dying, this must be what dying feels like
I've never panicked like this before, I don't know what else to do
It's all too much
I wish to pass into oblivion and have this all go away
I just want to close my eyes and pretend I'm somewhere else, doing something else where the rules
are not forced upon me
Oh, dear, was that the footman? They're here!
Well, I have no choice now, everything must be perfect!
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