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

pouce

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

A French unit of length equal to approximately one inch, being one-twelfth of a pied; used in precise craftsmanship and engineering.

Detailed Definition
The pouce, French for "thumb" and unit of length, measured one-twelfth of a pied, roughly 1.066 inches or 2.707 centimeters. Like English inch's derivation from thumb, pouce reflects anthropometric measurement origins. Used in fine craftsmanship, jewelry, watchmaking, and precision work, the pouce appears in technical and artistic contexts. In poetry concerning French craftsmanship, horology, or detailed artisanal work, pouce provides specific measurement vocabulary. The term evokes precision, fine work, and the tradition of French craftsmanship. Poets treating themes of exactitude, artistry, or French cultural settings employed pouces to add authentic detail to descriptions of careful measurement.
Example
Example in poetry:
In poetry about French precision crafts, "the watchmaker measured in pouces and lignes, tiny increments defining mechanical perfection"; Historical verse about ancien régime France might reference "royal edicts specified dimensions in pieds and pouces"; Poetry exploring French technical excellence describes "pouces divided into twelve lignes, lignes into twelve points—French precision descended through fractional hierarchies"; In verse about Enlightenment science, "they measured everything in pouces, quantifying reality through systematic observation"; Modern poets writing about French heritage might contrast "grandfather's tools marked in pouces; mine show millimeters—metric revolution completed"; Poetry about artisan traditions uses "the pouce—thumb-width that became precise standard, body transformed into science."
Additional Notes
The pouce (French inch) measured approximately 2.707 cm, being 1/12 pied. Students should understand that pouce literally means "thumb," showing anthropometric origins identical to English "inch" (from Latin "uncia," twelfth part). Understanding French measurement subdivision (ligne < pouce < pied) helps students grasp systematic hierarchical thinking. In poetry about French craftsmanship, precision work, or ancien régime France, pouce provides culturally authentic small measurement. The term appears in contexts of fine craftsmanship—jewelry, watchmaking, cabinetry—where precise small measurements mattered. Students should recognize that pouce subdivided further (12 lignes = 1 pouce), enabling extremely fine work. The pouce's abolition during French Revolution along with other royal measurements makes it historically significant. Related terms include ligne (1/12 pouce), pied (12 pouces), and digit (similar concept). For students writing about French artisan traditions, precision crafts, or pre-revolutionary France, using pouce rather than generic "inch" maintains cultural specificity. The pouce can represent French craftsmanship, precision, or anthropometric measurement's persistence across cultures. The term evokes French artisan workshops, clockmakers, and traditional craft excellence.
Also Known As
French inch
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