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 M

Matuku-tirawa

Mythology
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 fearsome ogre or giant slain by the hero Tāwhaki in his quest for celestial knowledge.

Detailed Definition
Matuku-tirawa lived in a swamp and was vulnerable only at certain times; Tāwhaki learned this secret and killed him. The ogre represents chaos and obstruction to divine ascent. His defeat marks a key trial in Tāwhaki’s journey. In oral epics, Matuku-tirawa symbolizes the trials one must overcome to attain wisdom. Poets invoke him as a metaphor for inner demons or societal barriers to enlightenment.
Example
Example in poetry:
Matuku-tirawa, the ogre slain by Rātā, appears in poetry as a symbol of tyranny overcome by courage and ancestral aid; Poets use Matuku-tirawa’s lair in the swamp to evoke hidden dangers and moral corruption; His defeat by Rātā, with help from forest spirits, inspires verse about community and intergenerational support; In allegorical poetry, Matuku-tirawa represents colonial oppression or systemic injustice; Some poets describe his final moments as a reckoning for past violence; His name evokes imagery of murky depths and the need for light to expose truth.
Additional Notes
Matuku-tirawa is an ogre or giant slain by the hero Rātā in revenge for killing Rātā’s father. He dwelled in swamps and represented chaos and tyranny. His defeat—aided by forest spirits after Rātā showed remorse—highlights themes of justice, humility, and reciprocity with nature. In poetry, Matuku-tirawa symbolizes oppressive forces, hidden dangers, or moral corruption. Poets can use him allegorically for colonialism, environmental destruction, or personal demons. Note that his name may vary by region (e.g., Matuku-moana). Avoid one-dimensional villainy—his lair in the wetlands connects him to liminal, misunderstood ecosystems.
Also Known As
Matuku
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