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 B

Boholaun

Dialect
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

Boholaun (or buachalán buí) is an Irish term for the common ragwort plant (Jacobaea vulgaris), often poetically linked in folklore to fairies who use its stems as magical steeds or "fairy horses."

Detailed Definition
In Irish poetic and folkloric tradition, "boholaun" refers to the tall, yellow-flowered ragwort, a plant viewed not merely as a common weed but as a vessel of supernatural power. It embodies the intersection of the natural and otherworldly realms, where humble flora transforms into fairy mounts for nocturnal rides across the landscape. This usage highlights themes of transformation, enchantment, and the hidden magic in everyday Irish rural life, appearing in late 19th- and early 20th-century literary works that blend Gaelic folklore with English-language poetry. Nuances include its dual perception as both a nuisance weed and a sacred or perilous fairy plant, warning children against touching it lest they be spirited away.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Nora Hopper’s “Boholaun and I” from Ballads in Prose (1894), the plant appears as a transformative fairy element: “Boholaun stands up stiff and uncomely now in the pitiless morning sunshine—a mere stalk of ragweed,” evoking its shift from a magical steed at night to an ordinary plant by day. In Katharine Tynan’s poetry, lines like “Here, where Boholaun stands alone, / You should find a steed of might / And yellow Boholaun gone” illustrate its role as a fairy horse that vanishes when ridden.
Additional Notes
Historical context or origin: Derived from Irish Gaelic “buachalán buí” (yellow boy/lad), it reflects deep-rooted Celtic associations between plants and the sídhe (fairies). It gained literary prominence in the Celtic Revival through writers like Nora Hopper and Katharine Tynan. Related terms or variations: Often “Boholaun Buidhe” (yellow boholaun); similar to other fairy-associated flora in Irish lore. Contrasts with more benevolent plants or heroic symbols in bardic poetry. Common usage tips or pitfalls: In poetry, leverage its dual mundane/magical nature for themes of illusion or liminality; avoid modern botanical literalism that ignores the folkloric enchantment. Etymology: From Irish “buachalán” (ragwort) + “buí” (yellow), emphasizing its bright flowers and folklore as fairy transportation. Cross-reference with aisling visions or other nature-spirit motifs in Irish verse.
Also Known As
Irish place legendary site mythic locale
Skip to main content