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 W

wench

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 young woman or girl, often used informally or affectionately, though sometimes with connotations of low social status or impropriety.

Detailed Definition
In medieval and Renaissance literature, “wench” typically referred to a serving girl, peasant maiden, or tavern worker, and could carry either neutral, playful, or derogatory overtones depending on context. Poets used it in pastoral or bawdy verse to depict rustic charm, flirtation, or social hierarchy. While not inherently vulgar, the term acquired risqué associations over time, especially in comedic or satirical works. Its archaic usage today evokes historical authenticity or folkloric atmosphere, often signaling a character’s youth, simplicity, or earthy vitality in contrast to courtly refinement.
Example
Example in poetry:
The serving wench brought ale and bread (young woman, girl); A pretty wench with eyes of blue (girl, female); The tavern wench knew every patron's name (female servant, barmaid); Many a wench would gladly wed the knight (girl, young woman); A saucy wench who feared no man (bold girl, woman); The poor wench wept at her misfortune (girl, usually of lower class)
Additional Notes
Wench originally meant a young woman or girl neutrally, but developed complex connotations. In medieval and Renaissance contexts, it could be affectionate, informal, or derogatory depending on speaker and context. Shakespeare uses wench variously: affectionately (Petruchio to Kate), neutrally (any young woman), or dismissively (loose women). Students must assess context—is wench affectionate, disrespectful, or neutral? In tavern scenes, wenches are often serving maids. The term sometimes implies low social status or sexual availability. "Country wench" suggests rural simplicity. By Victorian times, wench carried primarily negative connotations. Etymology from Old English wencel (child, servant). Understanding wench's contextual flexibility prevents oversimplified interpretation—not always insulting, not always affectionate. Compare "maid" (emphasizes unmarried status), "girl" (age), and "wench" (informal, varying connotations). Modern usage rarely employs wench except historically or in Renaissance fairs.
Also Known As
wenche girl lass drab Baggage
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