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


On 26 January 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

Previous Today Next

1 birthday · 2 death anniversaries · 8 world events on 26 January

Birthdays

Death anniversaries

World events on this day

  • 26 January 1788

    Arrival of the First Fleet in Australia

    Eleven British ships carrying convicts, marines and officials reached Sydney Cove in January 1788 and founded New South Wales. The settlement struggled initially with poor soil and shortages. Its expansion dispossessed Eora and other Aboriginal peoples through disease, violence and seizure of country.

    Event 1788

  • 26 January 1862

    Death of Coventry Patmore's First Wife

    On January 26, 1862, Coventry Patmore's first wife, Emily, passed away. This tragic event profoundly affected him and marked a turning point in his life and work, leading to a period of deep reflection and sorrow.

    Event 1862

  • 26 January 1896

    Death of James Edwin Campbell in Pomeroy, Ohio

    James Edwin Campbell died on January 26, 1896, in Pomeroy, Ohio, at the age of twenty-eight, succumbing to typhoid pneumonia while visiting his parents for Christmas. His premature death cut short a promising literary and educational career.

    Event 1896

  • 26 January 1939

    Fall of Barcelona

    On January 26, 1939, Nationalist forces entered and occupied Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia and the seat of the Republican government, after a rapid advance through the region. The fall of Barcelona was a catastrophic blow to the Republic, as it lost its largest city, its industrial base, and its connection to the French border. The occupation was followed by mass arrests and executions of Republican supporters, as Franco's forces consolidated their control over the region.

    Event 1939

  • 26 January 1788

    British Establishment of Penal Colony in Australia

    The arrival of the First Fleet at Botany Bay in 1788 marked the establishment of Sydney as a British penal colony, fundamentally altering the course of Australian history. This event initiated the colonization of Australia, leading to significant social, cultural, and environmental changes. The penal settlement was intended to alleviate overcrowding in British prisons and laid the foundation for the future development of Australia.

    Event 1788

  • 26 January 2001

    The Great Earthquake of 2001 in Bhuj

    On January 26, 2001 CE, a devastating earthquake, estimated at magnitude 7.7, struck the city of Bhuj in Gujarat, India, killing over 20,000 people and causing widespread destruction. This was one of the deadliest earthquakes in Indian history and had a profound impact on the country. The disaster led to significant improvements in India's disaster response and building codes.

    Event 2001

  • 26 January 1356

    The Great Lisbon Earthquake of the Middle Ages

    In 1356, a powerful earthquake struck offshore Portugal, causing severe structural damage across medieval Lisbon. This event, known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, had profound social and economic consequences, leading to loss of life and property. The disaster prompted discussions about urban planning and building safety in the aftermath, influencing future architectural practices. The earthquake remains a significant historical event, illustrating the vulnerability of cities to natural disasters.

    Event 1356

  • 26 January 1972

    The Miraculous Flight and Survival of Vesna Vulović

    Serbian flight attendant Vesna Vulović achieved an impossible medical survival after a terrorist bomb tore through JAT Flight 367 over Srbská Kamenice, Czechoslovakia. Trapped inside a severed piece of the fuselage by a food cart, she plummeted from a staggering altitude of 33,330 feet into a heavily snow-covered, wooded mountainside. She survived the terrifying impact with a fractured skull and temporary paralysis, earning the Guinness World Record for the highest fall survived without a parachute.

    Event 1972
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