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

pottle

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 liquid capacity equal to half a gallon or two quarts, approximately 80 fluid ounces; also a drinking vessel.

Detailed Definition
The pottle, from Old French "potel," measured half a gallon or two quarts (about 2.27 liters). Originally referring to the vessel itself, pottle became the measure. Shakespeare uses "pottle" for drinking vessels and quantity. In poetry concerning drinking culture, tavern life, or modest quantities, pottle provides period-authentic measurement. The term evokes intimate drinking, tavern culture, and personal consumption rather than bulk storage. Poets employed pottles when treating scenes of drinking, revelry, or everyday consumption, adding specific measurement detail and connecting to English drinking traditions and tavern culture through historically authentic terminology.
Example
Example in poetry:
In tavern poetry and drinking songs, "they shared a pottle of ale, companionship measured in half-gallons"; Shakespeare uses "pottle" in his plays, lending the measure literary authority and familiarity; Historical verse about markets might describe "the vendor sold cider by the pottle, carefully measuring each customer's portion"; In poetry about modest celebrations, "a pottle of wine for the christening, enough to toast but not excess"; Poetry exploring drinking culture uses "from pottle to firkin to hogshead—graduated measures for graduated intoxication"; Modern poets writing about pubs might describe "the old pottle measures on the shelf, decorative now, no longer legal for trade—history reduced to atmosphere."
Additional Notes
The pottle's dual identity (liquid measurement and drinking vessel) makes it materially tangible. Students should understand that 1 pottle = 2 quarts = half gallon ≈80 fluid ounces, representing modest drinking quantity. The term derives from Old French "potel" and appears in Shakespeare and other early modern literature. Understanding that "pottle" named both measure and container helps students recognize how measurement terminology reflected physical objects. In poetry about drinking culture, taverns, or modest consumption, pottles provide authentic period vocabulary. Shakespeare's usage gives pottle literary authority and familiarity to students studying early modern literature. The pottle represents personal-scale consumption—neither single cup nor barrel, but amount for small group or generous individual serving. Students should note pottle's intermediate scale between household measures (cups, pints) and commercial measures (barrels, hogsheads). Related terms include quart, gallon, and firkin, all liquid measures. For students writing about tavern culture, Shakespeare's era, or drinking customs, pottles add authentic period detail. The pottle can represent conviviality, moderate consumption, or the material culture of drinking—specific containers holding specific amounts.
Also Known As
pottle measure half-gallon
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