Eulogy Of Sibyl

“The diamond in the ruff that has never been found”


"Mournfully and low the man of God began his eulogy of the dead, and his doleful voice, mingled with the sobbing which it was its purpose to stimulate and sustain, rose and fell, seemed to come and go, like the sound of a sullen sea" a quote written by Bierce, Ambrose. My one and only daughter Sibyl Vane bloomed in this world on March 10, 1873. To me she was the most precious little flower in the world. All my life I had worked hard for the best for Sibyl. I myself had educated my angel at home. Days went by so fast that Sibyl grew up as a young actress. All she knew was acting and nothing was more precious to her but her acting. She performed on stage right here in London… her home. During her very short life… my precious child had done many things. The major one she ever did was falling in love. Yes… Sibyl Vane fell in love with Dorian Gray an audience whom she only performed for after falling in love. Everyday she would tell me about her love to Dorian Gray and how happy she really was being in love with him. One day I remember her coming in my room and saying… “Mother, mother, I am so happy!”… “and you must be happy too!” Sibyl met Dorian for the first time back stage. She always bragged about how much he loves her acting. I do remember one day when she came home with a sad face. She looked really depressed. I asked her about her performance that day and she replied in such a rude manner.

Sibyl was rejected by her lover. Dorian Gray was a profanation to her that day. He put her down and said that her performance was a complete fiasco. From that day I think that Sibyl found everything to be an illusion around her. The heart breaking news about Sibyl’s death revealed that she my one and only daughter had committed suicide. She ate something very poisonous. Oh how much I miss that child. She was a very proficient person. Sibyl had a great talent that was never revealed to anyone. Sibyl was a diamond in the ruff that has never been found. The people that she had hung around never looked at her in a way of interest. They always let her stand around them because of her young beauty. They never noticed her best qualities that made her exist to me. When she was little, she used to dance around the living room like the performers she had seen on television. She would sing many songs, emulating her favorite singer. Oh how ironic, I could just see her now.

The only difference is that I am actually seeing her now . . . Lying here . . . in this . . . horrible, horrible death bed for no . . . reason at all. She used to talk about how she wanted to be the center of the circle. She immersed herself in every role she played. Her audience’s joys were her joys. Their sorrows were her sorrows. When she acted the background seemed so real. . I wish now I had joined in her happiness in her final days, instead of calling her “Foolish child!” I wish I had listened to her request. “Ah mother, mother, let me be happy”. Even though Sibyl is no longer with us she is still interminable inside of us. I would like to remember her not as someone who has joined the dead but someone who inspired the living.



Quotes:
“Mother, mother, I am so happy!”… “And you must be happy too!”
Chapter V page 49 paragraphs 1.

“Foolish child!”
Chapter 5 page 65

“Ah mother, mother, let me be happy”.
Chapter 5 page 66