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.

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 P

Panem Et Circenses

Latin Phrases
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 Latin phrase meaning "bread and circuses," describing superficial pacification used by rulers to appease the public with food and entertainment.

Detailed Definition
“Panem et circenses” criticizes a society pacified by material distraction and public spectacle. A poet may use it to describe political theater, commercial entertainment, or crowds whose attention is diverted from injustice. The phrase is effective in satirical verse because its balanced rhythm mimics a slogan, while its historical association reminds readers that rulers can preserve power not only through force, but through managed pleasure and forgetfulness.
Example
Example in poetry:
A satirical poet may use “Panem et circenses” to condemn leaders who distract citizens with food and spectacle; the phrase echoes Juvenal’s criticism of Roman political manipulation; in a poem about television and celebrity culture, it can connect ancient distraction with modern entertainment; used as a refrain after images of hungry crowds and dazzling screens, it sharpens the poem’s social critique
Additional Notes
“Panem Et Circenses” means “Bread and circuses,” a phrase from Juvenal criticizing rulers who pacify the public with food and spectacle instead of meaningful political participation. In poetry, it can suggest distraction, mass entertainment, propaganda, consumerism, or the manipulation of public attention.
Also Known As
Bread And Circuses
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