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



1157

The Rise of the Almohads in North Africa

What happened

In 1157, the Almohad movement began to gain prominence in North Africa, advocating for a strict interpretation of Islam and unifying various Berber tribes under a single banner. This rise was marked by significant military campaigns and cultural shifts, leading to the establishment of a powerful empire that would influence the Iberian Peninsula and beyond. The Almohads played a crucial role in the political and religious landscape of the time.

Literary impact

The Almohad movement inspired a wealth of poetry and philosophical writings, particularly in the works of poets like Ibn Tumart and later figures such as Ibn Arabi. Their emphasis on unity and spiritual awakening resonated through the literary culture, influencing the themes of faith and identity in poetry across the Muslim world.

Source: Wikipedia

Poets alive in 1157

1 poet

More events in 1157

Skip to main content