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

Pithy inscription

Form
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 brief, forceful written statement carved or written on monuments or objects.

Detailed Definition
Brief, memorable inscriptions designed for carving or engraving, typically on monuments, gravestones, buildings, or commemorative objects. Must compress significant meaning into minimal words suitable for physical inscription and public reading. Epitaphs represent most common type, though pithy inscriptions can mark any commemorative purpose. Benjamin Franklin's self-composed epitaph wittily comparing himself to old book being rebound demonstrates how brevity can achieve both memorability and wit. Every word must earn its place; economy is essential not just aesthetically but practically for carving and reading.
Example
Example in poetry:
Greek epigrams like Simonides’ “Go tell it to the Spartans…” exemplify pithy inscription; Shakespeare’s tombstone: “Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear”; modern example: W.S. Merwin’s haiku-like epitaphs (“Leaving the empty house”); pithy inscriptions appear on monuments, coins, and digital media; they distill wisdom or warning into minimal lines; this form values memorability and brevity.
Additional Notes
Brief, memorable inscriptions often carved or engraved. Epitaphs are typical examples. Must compress meaning into minimal words. Benjamin Franklin's self-composed epitaph demonstrates wit in pithy inscription. Should be quotable and memorable. Every word must count.
Also Known As
brief epitaph concise inscription terse carving compact memorial Epigram
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