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 L

last

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 English unit of weight or capacity varying by commodity, typically around two tons; used for bulk goods like wool, hides, and grain.

Detailed Definition
The last, large measure varying considerably by commodity, typically weighed about 4,000 pounds (two tons) or measured substantial volume. Wool last, herring last, grain last differed significantly. This bulk measure served wholesale commerce and international trade. In poetry concerning maritime commerce, international trade, or large-scale commercial transactions, last provides authentic bulk measurement. The term evokes wholesale trade, ship cargoes, and commercial scale beyond local markets. Poets employed lasts when treating themes of maritime commerce, international trade, or economic scale, emphasizing the magnitude of commercial transactions and connecting to England's trading networks.
Example
Example in poetry:
In maritime poetry, "the ship carried a last of grain, hold loaded to capacity with imperial wheat"; Historical verse about medieval trade might reference "two lasts of wool exported to Flanders, England's wealth loaded onto merchant cogs"; Poetry exploring commercial scale uses "the last—bulk measurement for bulk trade, quantities beyond counting by hand"; In verse about herring fishing, "the catch totaled fifty lasts, silver abundance that fed distant cities"; Regional poetry sometimes notes variations: "a last of wool weighed differently than a last of grain—same word, different quantities"; Modern industrial poetry might contrast "great-grandfather traded in lasts; grandfather in tons; I work in metric tonnes—each generation's measurements growing more abstract."
Additional Notes
The last represents bulk commercial measurement varying dramatically by commodity. Students should understand that last could mean different quantities: wool last ≈ 4,000 pounds, herring last ≈ 13,200 fish, grain last varied regionally. This commodity-specific variation shows pre-standardization commerce's complexity. The term derives from Old English "hlæst" (load or cargo). In maritime and commercial poetry, lasts convey wholesale scale beyond local trade. Understanding that lasts measured ship cargoes and international commerce helps students appreciate the term's significance. The last appears in contexts of wool export (fundamental to medieval English economy), herring fishing (North Sea trade), and grain shipping. Students should recognize that using "last" rather than generic "tons" signals engagement with specific historical commercial practices. Related terms include sack (wool), wey (wool/cheese), and quintal (fish), all bulk measures. For students writing about medieval or early modern commerce, maritime trade, or international markets, lasts provide authentic large-scale measurement vocabulary. The last can represent mercantile wealth, international trade, or economic scale beyond local barter.
Also Known As
last load ship’s last
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