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.

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

Ajax the Greater

Mythology
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

Towering Greek champion famed for strength and steadfast courage, rival to Achilles in might; his tragic end reflects wounded honour and heroic isolation.

Detailed Definition
Ajax, son of Telamon, was renowned for his strength and courage. After losing Achilles’ armor to Odysseus, he went mad and killed himself. His tragic pride and heroic stature are central to Sophocles’ tragedy Ajax. Poets invoke him to symbolize martial valor, wounded honor, and the fragility of heroism.
Example
Example in poetry:
Homer’s Iliad distinguishes Ajax the Greater as son of Telamon and defender of the Greek ships; Sophocles’ Ajax centers on his pride and downfall after Achilles’ death; Pindar’s Isthmian Odes praise Ajax the Greater’s martial prowess; Apollodorus recounts his role in retrieving Achilles’ body; Virgil’s Aeneid mentions him among the fallen Greek heroes; In later epic, he embodies the tragic cost of honor.
Additional Notes
Ajax the Greater (Telamonian Ajax) is second only to Achilles in martial prowess. His tragic arc—pride, madness, suicide—makes him central to Sophocles’ Ajax and a key figure in discussions of heroic ethics. Unlike Achilles, he lacks poetic eloquence, embodying brute strength and rigid honor. Students should note how his shield (often described as massive) symbolizes his defensive, unyielding nature. His death creates a vacuum in the Greek army, accelerating Achilles’ return. Related: Teucer (his brother), Hector (his duel opponent), the armor of Achilles.
Also Known As
Telamon’s Son Shield-Bearer of Salamis Giant of the Greek Host
Skip to main content