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


On 4 December 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

2 birthdays · 3 death anniversaries · 6 world events on 4 December

Birthdays

Death anniversaries

World events on this day

  • 4 December 1131

    The Death of Omar Khayyam and the Legacy of the Rubaiyat

    The brilliant Persian polymath, mathematician, astronomer, and poet Omar Khayyam passed away in Nishapur. Renowned during his lifetime for calculating the Jalali calendar and solving cubic equations, Khayyam's private existential and philosophical reflections were recorded in the form of four-line epigrams known as 'Rubaiyat'. His verses frequently wrestled with the transient nature of human life, the unknowability of the afterlife, the cold mechanics of the cosmos, and the pursuit of spiritual peace through the metaphorical consumption of wine.

    Event 1131

  • 4 December 1971

    McGurk's Bar Bombing

    On December 4, 1971, a bomb exploded at McGurk's Bar in Belfast, killing 15 people, all of them Catholics. The bombing, which was carried out by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), was one of the deadliest attacks of the Troubles. The McGurk's Bar bombing was a sectarian attack that deepened the divisions of the conflict.

    Event 1971

  • 4 December 1048

    The Death of the Persian Poet Omar Khayyam

    In 1048, the renowned Persian poet and mathematician Omar Khayyam passed away in Nishapur, Iran. Khayyam is best known for his quatrains (rubaiyat), which explore themes of love, nature, and existential reflection. His work would later influence the Western literary canon, particularly during the 19th century, when translations of his poetry inspired poets like Edward FitzGerald and the broader Romantic movement.

    Event 1048

  • 4 December 1259

    Treaty of Paris (1259)

    On December 4, 1259, the Treaty of Paris was signed between King Louis IX of France and King Henry III of England, formally ending centuries of conflict between the Plantagenet and Capetian dynasties. Henry III renounced his claims to Normandy, Maine, and other French territories lost by King John, while Louis IX recognized English control over Gascony. The treaty brought a period of relative peace and stabilized the borders between the two kingdoms.

    Event 1259

  • 4 December 1818

    Sir John Ross Brings Red Snow from Greenland

    British explorer Sir John Ross, returning from an Arctic expedition in search of the Northwest Passage, brought back samples of crimson snow from Cape York in Greenland. The discovery, reported in The Times on December 4, 1818, sparked a lively scientific debate about its origin. The red snow, later identified as algae, captured the public imagination as a marvel of the polar regions.

    Event 1818

  • 4 December 1966

    Founding of the Asian Development Bank

    The Asian Development Bank (ADB) was founded in 1966 to promote economic development and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Established with the goal of reducing poverty and improving living standards, the ADB has played a crucial role in financing infrastructure projects and fostering regional integration. Its establishment marked a significant step towards collaborative economic growth in Asia, addressing pressing development challenges.

    Event 1966
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