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

Home › Glossary › Letter A

Agonium

Historical Festival
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Ancient Roman religious observance held several times a year, featuring sacrifices to Janus and other deities

Detailed Definition
The Agonium was a recurring Roman festival on January 9, March 17, May 21, and December 11, primarily honoring Janus but also Vediovis and Salus. It involved public sacrifices, typically of a ram, and prayers for civic protection. Though its etymology is debated—possibly from "agon" (contest) or "agere" (to drive)—it marked key moments in the ritual calendar. In poetry, the Agonium appears as a subtle nod to Roman piety, temporal cycles, and the liminal power of thresholds, often invoked in elegiac or didactic verse to underscore divine presence in daily life.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ovid’s Fasti notes the Agonium on January 9 as a day when Janus receives the year’s first vows, framing time’s threshold; Horace’s Odes allude to Agonium sacrifices to emphasize civic piety amid personal reflection; Martial’s epigrams mention the Agonium as a quiet day of prayer, contrasting with Rome’s usual bustle; Later neoclassical poets use “Agonium” to evoke Roman ritual precision and the sacredness of beginnings; In didactic poetry, the Agonium marks a moment when divine favor is sought before civic action; Contemporary historical verse references the Agonium to reconstruct Roman religious rhythm and its integration into daily life.
Additional Notes
Agonium was observed four times yearly (Jan 9, Mar 17, May 21, Dec 11) and primarily honored Janus, though other deities like Vediovis were included. Its etymology is debated—possibly from agon (contest) or agere (to drive)—but its function was civic supplication. For poets, it symbolizes thresholds, beginnings, and ritual regularity. When teaching Roman timekeeping, link Agonium to the Kalends and other dies religiosi; it’s ideal for illustrating how poetry engages with the liturgical rhythm of public life.
Also Known As
Agonalia
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