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.

Thank you to anyone who found a poem, a track, or a quiet moment here.

The pleasure was in the making.

Richard


On 17 March in poetry and history

Poets born or who died on this date, plus historical events that happened on this day across history.

610 poets with calendar dates · 6,535 events with calendar dates in the catalogue

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3 birthdays · 1 death anniversary · 4 world events on 17 March

Birthdays

Death anniversaries

World events on this day

  • 17 March 1761

    Bridgewater Canal Opens in England

    In 1761, the Bridgewater Canal opened in England, connecting coal mines to Manchester and pioneering efficient inland waterway transport. This canal represented a significant advancement in industrial transportation, facilitating the movement of goods and contributing to the Industrial Revolution. The success of the Bridgewater Canal set a precedent for future canal construction, shaping the economic landscape of Britain.

    Event 1761

  • 17 March 1858

    Irish Republican Brotherhood Founded in Dublin

    On St. Patrick's Day, 1858, James Stephens formally established the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) in Peter Lanigan's timber yard on Lombard Street in Dublin. The IRB was a secret, oath-bound fraternal organization dedicated to establishing an independent democratic republic in Ireland. Its American counterpart, the Fenian Brotherhood, was founded shortly after, creating a powerful transatlantic network.

    Event 1858

  • 17 March 1876

    Publication of 'The Hunting of the Snark'

    In 1876, Lewis Carroll published 'The Hunting of the Snark,' a nonsense poem that further showcased his unique style and playful use of language. The poem, filled with fantastical characters and absurd situations, reflects Carroll's continued exploration of the nonsensical and the whimsical. It was published in London and received mixed reviews.

    Event 1876

  • 17 March 1921

    Marie Stopes Opens Birth Control Clinic in UK

    In 1921, Marie Stopes opened Britain's first birth control clinic in London, advocating for women's access to contraception and sexual health education. A pioneer in family planning, she promoted informed choice and pleasure within marriage through writings and activism. Her work advanced reproductive rights and feminist discourse, influencing social attitudes and literary explorations of intimacy and autonomy.

    Event 1921
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