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 T

The die is cast

Idiomatic Phrase
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 idiom originating from Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon, signifying that a decisive step has been taken which cannot be undone, marking the point of no return in a course of action or decision.

Detailed Definition
The die is cast means a decisive step has been taken and the consequences can no longer be avoided. The idiom evokes dice, fate, risk, and historically the crossing of a political point of no return. In poetry, it can mark confession, betrayal, rebellion, marriage, war, or deathward movement. A poet may use it to create tragic inevitability or solemn resolve. The phrase is useful for exploring chance transformed into commitment, where choice becomes fate once action has begun.
Example
Example in poetry:
A tragedy might declare the die is cast when the prince signs the death warrant; In a voyage poem, the die is cast once the ship leaves harbour; The phrase means a decision has been made and cannot be undone; A poet can use it for fate and irrevocable action.
Additional Notes
The die is cast means an irreversible decision has been made, with classical associations often linked to Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon. The die is a singular form of dice, so chance and commitment are fused. In poetry, it suits fate, war, betrayal, vows, and tragic turning points. Students should notice the drama of finality: after the throw, one may await the outcome, but cannot undo the action. It pairs well with rivers, lots, hands, and destiny.
Also Known As
alea iacta est
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