The First Kiss

Philip Bourke Marston

Philip Bourke Marston portrait

13 August 1850 to 13 February 1887 (~37)

Poem Image
Track 1

How to Play Cloze Games

A cloze game is a reading comprehension activity where certain words are removed from a text and you need to fill in the blanks with the correct words. This helps improve vocabulary, reading comprehension, and understanding of context.

Type In Mode

In this mode, you can:

  • Type your answers directly into the blank spaces
  • Get instant feedback as you type - correct answers show green, incorrect show red
  • Use the keyboard for faster input and navigation
  • Submit answers to check your overall progress

Drag & Drop Mode

Switch to Drag & Drop mode to:

  • Drag words from the word bank and drop them into blank spaces
  • Click on words in the bank to automatically fill blanks
  • Click on blanks to select or clear them

Game Features

  • Word Skip Selector: Choose how frequently words are removed (every 4th, 5th, 6th word, etc.)
  • Progress Bar: Shows your completion percentage
  • Color Feedback: Green for correct answers, red for incorrect ones
  • Audio Player: Listen to the musical arrangement while you play (when available)
  • Show Missing Words: View all the correct answers if you need help
  • Reset Game: Start over with the same poem
  • New Game: Get a different random poem

Winning

When you fill all the blanks correctly and submit your answers, you'll see a congratulations message! The progress bar will show 100% completion.

Tips

  • Read the entire poem first to understand the context
  • Look for grammatical clues (verb tense, articles, etc.)
  • Use the audio player to hear the rhythm and flow (when available)
  • Start with easier word skip settings (like every 8th word) and work your way up
  • Don't be afraid to use "Show Missing Words" if you get stuck!
  • Try both Type In and Drag & Drop modes to see which you prefer

Missing Words

She sat where he had left her all alone, 
With head bent back, and eyes through love on flame; 
And neck half flushed with most delicious shame; 
With hair disordered, and with loosened zone, — 
sat, and to herself made tender moan, 
As again in thought her lover came. 
And caught by her hands and called her name. 
And her body as her soul his own. 

The June, moon-stricken twilight, warm, and fair. 
Closed round her she sat 'neath voiceless trees. 
Full of the of triumphant prayer, 
And sense of unimagined ecstasies 
Which must be hers, she knows, yet knows not why; 
But feels thereof his kiss the prophecy. 

00:00

The First Kiss

Philip Bourke Marston (13 August 1850 - 13 February 1887 ~37)

She sat where he had left her all alone, 
With head bent back, and eyes through love on flame; 
And neck half flushed with most delicious shame; 
With hair disordered, and with loosened zone, — 
She sat, and to herself made tender moan, 
As yet again in thought her lover came. 
And caught her by her hands and called her name. 
And sealed her body as her soul his own. 

The June, moon-stricken twilight, warm, and fair. 
Closed round her where she sat 'neath voiceless trees. 
Full of the wonder of triumphant prayer, 
And sense of unimagined ecstasies 
Which must be hers, she knows, yet knows not why; 
But feels thereof his kiss the prophecy. 

Poet portrait
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A quiet notice V2Melody closes at midnight on , Spanish time.

Closes

A note from Richard

V2Melody will close at midnight on 20 January 2028

This site has been a retirement project in musical poetry: poems chosen with care and set to music, offered freely for as long as it felt right to keep the garden open.

The work no longer holds the place it once did in my life. I have gone as far with it as I wish to go. Like a sand mandala, it was made to be completed and then released. I am not attached to its permanence, and I do not believe any of it needs to last beyond the time it was given. The poems were already here before I arrived and began to experiment with them. They will still be here when these musical experiments, and indeed myself, have been swept away, like the sand of a mandala. Nothing has been lost.

I want a simpler end to my life, days of simple love and enjoyment with my wonderful wife of 20 years. The work of maintaining a server, the monitoring, and the residual obligations that come with keeping a site alive no longer fit that life.

From 4 November 2026 I will not be adding new poems or musical poems to the site.

The experimental music I am making now is on my Suno profile. Those pieces stay there, and are not added to this site.

Until midnight on 20 January 2028, Spanish time, everything remains available exactly as it is. That is when my VPS server contract comes to an end, and it will not be renewed. After that, the server will be switched off and the site will disappear.

The Mandala Is Finished explains this more fully.

Thank you to anyone who found a poem, a track, or a quiet moment here.

The pleasure was in the making.

Richard