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

an

Archaic Terms
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

An is an archaic conjunction meaning "if" or "whether," used in conditional clauses.

Detailed Definition
An, a shortened form of "and" meaning "if," enriches conditional reasoning in Early Modern poetry. Shakespeare employed it frequently for natural dialogue rhythm. In verse it facilitates hypothetical scenarios, moral dilemmas, and speculative thought, contributing to the layered complexity characteristic of great dramatic and lyric poetry.
Example
Example in poetry:
An thou lovest me, then grant me but one kiss.; An it please the gods, we shall meet again in spring.; An you will hear my tale, I shall recount it fully.; An the storm breaks not, we may yet reach the shore.; An thou art true, then fear no shadow in the night.; An it rain tomorrow, the flowers will drink their fill.
Additional Notes
Notes on an: This conditional conjunction, a shortened form of "and" meaning "if," thrives in Early Modern English verse where it enables hypothetical scenarios and moral dilemmas. Shakespeare frequently used it for natural dialogue rhythm in plays turned into poetic excerpts. Tip for students: use it in conditional clauses to explore "what if" themes common in speculative or philosophical poetry. It pairs well with subjunctive verbs like "wert" or "wouldst" for layered hypotheticals. In academic analysis, contrast its usage with modern "if" to highlight how archaic forms condense syntax while preserving meter. Professors can assign exercises rewriting modern conditionals into archaic style to deepen understanding of linguistic evolution and poetic economy.
Also Known As
if whether Ane
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