Po-mz - Great Chinese Poetry Collected And Shared By Tony Johansen

Pronounced "Poems" but in the whacky digital age we make up new words because someone already registered the real word.

These poems are collected and shared because they are special words, often very profound, often sensual, and always very beautiful and meaningful.

Here are words from the greatest poets who ever lived, some of them very famous, but there are also treasures from lesser known poets who perhaps deserve to be better known. I humbly offer some of my poems in amongst this illustrious company. Please forgive me for that, and I hope you enjoy this rich selection.

Po-mz is designed to allow serendipity a large role in your reading pleasure. Do not expect the poetry to be ordered according to subject or poet. Instead you have two choices. You can read in a linear fashion using the next and previous buttons at the bottom of each page, or you can use the archives link at the bottom of this sidebar to randomly hop from poem to poem. Enjoy.

GO MOBILE
Now Po-mz comes in a special edition designed for easy reading on any internet enabled mobile phone. The URL you will need is http://po-mz.tumblr.com/mobile
Those fortunate enough to have an iPhone should just use the regular URL for best results.

LINKS
Gatherr
Cultural items of interest gathered from the web. Updated daily with an intense focus on a different theme for each day.

TonyJohansen.com
The main web site about the work of artist Tony Johansen. Extensive galleries of artwork as well as selected writings and poetry.

Diary Of An Artist
Online diary of Tony Johansen. The trivia, traumas and triumphs of an artist struggling to survive in a new world.

PaintMaking.com
The webs premier site on pigments and making artist's paints in the studio.

Go Figure
An online extension of a painting by Tony Johansen.

Voice In My Head
The background and story of the painting of the portrait of Leo Sayer by Tony Johansen

Crypts And Cats
Interesting places (and cats) within walking distance of Kings Cross.

Hens Night Ideas
Arty Party's are the fun way to celebrate a Hens Night.

EROTIC ART LINKS
Femaylz
Artistic erotic images of the female form collected, edited, and created by Tony Johansen. WARNING: This site contains explicit imagery of nude or semi clad women. Do not enter if you are under 18 years of age or are offended by sexually graphic images.

Maylz
Artistic erotic images of the male form collected, edited, and created by Tony Johansen. WARNING: This site contains explicit imagery of nude or semi clad men and includes images of penises. Do not enter if you are under 18 years of age or are offended by sexually graphic images.

Intercorz
Artistic erotic images of the male and female form engaged in sexual activity. The images are intended to explore the beauty of the human form in all activities. The images are collected, edited, and created by Tony Johansen. WARNING: This site contains explicit imagery of nude or semi clad men and women engaged in sexual activity. Do not enter if you are under 18 years of age or are offended by sexually graphic images.

Great Chinese Poetry Collected And Shared By Tony Johansen

TAO TE CHING (EXCERPT)

The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao.

The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.

(Conceived of as) having no name,

it is the Originator of heaven and earth; (conceived of as) having a name,

it is the Mother of all things.

Always without desire we must be found,

If its deep mystery we would sound;

But if desire always within us be,

Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.

Under these two aspects, it is really the same;

but as development takes place, it receives the different names.

Together we call them the Mystery.

Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that
is subtle and wonderful.

- Lao Tzu, translated by J. Legge

Lao Tzu lived somewhere between the 7th and 4th century BC. He is often described as a contemporary of Confuscious but there is no evidence to support this. The name Lao Tzu is not actually a name but is a title. It translates as “Old Master”. All the many legendary stories of his life cannot be connected with any historic event and there is no contemporary records that can be connected to Lao Tzu. Modern scholars question whether Lao Tzu actually existed as an individual and suggest the Tao Te Ching could be the distilled result of the work of various early leaders of Taoism.