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

By hook or by crook

Idiomatic Phrase
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

To achieve something by any means necessary, lawful or otherwise.

Detailed Definition
Medieval in origin—possibly from English forest laws allowing collection of firewood via hooks or crooks—this phrase denotes relentless determination. In poetry, it often characterizes antiheroes, rebels, or desperate lovers who defy convention. Shakespearean drama and modern noir verse employ it to convey moral ambiguity or obsessive drive. Its archaic diction lends historical texture, while its rhythmic repetition enhances memorability. Poets use it to explore ethical compromise, ambition, or the blurred line between resourcefulness and ruthlessness in pursuit of desire or survival.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s Richard III vows, “I’ll come by hook or by crook to crown myself”—showing ruthless ambition; A protest poem: “We’ll reach justice by hook or by crook, even if the law turns blind”; In a love sonnet: “I’ll win your heart by hook or by crook, though walls surround you”; Modern verse: “By hook or by crook, she climbed the tower of academia—no ladder offered”.
Additional Notes
Medieval English forest law allowed commoners to collect firewood using hooks or crooks, leading to the phrase meaning “by any means.” In poetry, it characterizes relentless determination, often with moral ambiguity. Shakespeare’s Richard III uses it to justify ruthless ambition; modern poets apply it to marginalized individuals navigating systemic barriers. Its archaic diction lends historical texture, while its ethical complexity invites debate: when does resourcefulness become ruthlessness? Students can examine how poets balance admiration for tenacity with critique of compromised integrity in pursuit of survival or justice.
Also Known As
By fair means or foul
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