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 I

Incitatus

Horses
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

Incitatus was the famous horse of the Roman Emperor Caligula, often associated with excess and absurdity.

Detailed Definition
Incitatus, known for being pampered and even appointed as a consul by Caligula, symbolizes the extremes of power and the absurdity of human behavior. In literature and poetry, Incitatus serves as a critique of authority and the folly of excess, representing how power can distort reality. The imagery of this horse often evokes themes of decadence and the relationship between humans and their creations, prompting reflections on the nature of leadership and the consequences of unchecked ambition.
Example
Example in poetry:
In the shadow of Rome, Incitatus stood proud, a steed of legend, his name whispered in the halls of power; With a coat like polished marble, he galloped through history, a symbol of ambition and excess; The emperor's favorite, he dined on gold, a testament to the heights of folly; In poems of old, Incitatus became a metaphor for the folly of man, a horse that bridged the divine and the absurd.
Additional Notes
Incitatus is often referenced in discussions about the absurdities of power and excess in literature. His story serves as a cautionary tale about the potential for corruption and the disconnect between rulers and their subjects. In poetry, Incitatus can symbolize the folly of pride and the extremes of human ambition, making him a rich subject for metaphorical exploration. Writers may draw parallels between Incitatus and contemporary figures to comment on modern excesses.
Also Known As
Incitatus the Imperial Horse
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