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 C

coxcomb

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

A vain, conceited man obsessed with his own appearance and importance.

Detailed Definition
The coxcomb is a comic figure of arrogance and empty self-regard, common in early modern satire. In poetry, the term functions as a sharp insult, targeting those who mistake ornament for substance. Poets employed it to ridicule social climbers, shallow courtiers, and pretentious lovers, reinforcing moral lessons about humility, self-knowledge, and the dangers of self-deception.
Example
Example in poetry:
A coxcomb struts in borrowed wit, mistaking noise for thought; The poet skewers coxcomb pride with one well-aimed line; Each coxcomb polishes his name while dulling sense; Satire thrives where coxcombs preen
Additional Notes
Coxcomb is a staple of satirical poetry, targeting vanity and self-importance. The term is closely tied to visual excess—clothing, gestures, and speech. Poets deploy it to criticise shallow masculinity and misplaced pride, often contrasting outer polish with inner emptiness. It is especially effective in moral satire where ridicule functions as correction.
Also Known As
Popinjay Fopling Peacock fop
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