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



1550

Event dated January 1550

Ottoman Empire Harem Courtship and Poetic Tribute

What happened

In 1550, the Ottoman Empire's harem courtship rituals involved intricate palace ceremonies that included poetry, music, and gifts. These practices reflected the cultural significance of love and beauty within the imperial court. The poetic tributes served not only as expressions of affection but also as a means of political maneuvering within the complex social hierarchies of the empire.

Literary impact

The harem courtship practices of the Ottoman Empire in 1550 inspired Divan poetry, particularly through the ghazal form. Poets like Baki celebrated the idealized beloved, influencing Persian and Turkish love traditions and enriching the literary landscape, while also impacting later poets like Nizami, who explored themes of love and longing.

Source: Wikipedia

Poets alive in 1550

18 poets

More events in 1550

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