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



1700

Chocolate Gains Popularity in German States

What happened

By 1700, chocolate gained popularity in the German states, transitioning from a luxury item to a fashionable beverage enjoyed by the elite. The introduction of chocolate houses in cities like Hamburg and Frankfurt created social spaces for the exchange of ideas and culture. This trend reflected broader European tastes and the growing influence of chocolate as a commodity. The rise of chocolate in German-speaking regions marked a significant cultural shift, contributing to the development of culinary traditions.

Literary impact

The popularity of chocolate in German states around 1700 integrated into Central European literary culture, influencing poets of the Sturm und Drang movement. Their works often expressed heightened emotions, using chocolate as a symbol of luxury and sensory experience.

Source: Wikipedia

Poets alive in 1700

24 poets

More events in 1700

Skip to main content