His poems are all Yuefu songs. Historians say that he "has been in the imperial army for more than 30 years, and when he reached the peak, he must write new poems and compose songs", which is indeed a true record. Although these Yuefu songs follow the ancient theme of Han Yuefu, they do not follow the ancient meaning of the old saying, but inherit the spirit of Yuefu folk songs "Origin" (Records of Han Dynasty and Arts) and "Poetry with Yuefu theme" (Qing Dynasty dialect), reflecting the new reality and showing a new look.
Some of Cao Cao's Yuefu poems reflect the reality of unrest in the late Han Dynasty. For example, Autumn Dew Travel describes the murder of eunuchs by He Jin, a general in the late Han Dynasty, and calls warlords from all directions for help, which leads to Dong Zhuo's rebellion against the capital. Related to this is Hao Lixing:
The soldiers of the Kwantung Army rose up against the cruel people. On the first day of the first date, General Ding Meng went to attack Dong Zhuo in Chang 'an. Dong Zhuo's army came together, each with its own plans, looked at each other and refused to stand out. These two sentences led to the battle of various armies, and then the armies of various armies killed each other. Yuan Shao's cousin Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor in Huainan, and the emperor Yuan Shaomou carved the emperor in the north. Because of the war, soldiers have long been unable to take off their battle clothes, their armor is covered with lice, and many people have died because of years of war. The bones were bare in the field, and there was no one among them, and there was no crowing. It is extremely sad to think that only one person in a hundred people is alive.
In the first year of Di Xian Chu Ping, the Guandong satrap set out to crusade against Dong Zhuo, but after joining forces, warlords such as Yuan Shao, the Bohai satrap, and Huainan Shu fought each other for power and interests. This poem reflects this historical fact after the previous poem. The six sentences at the end of the poem summarize the tragic scene caused by the warlord's melee, and reveal the poet's feelings of compassion and confusion when he is hurt, which is desolate and exciting and vivid. Because these two poems are all about the past events in Yuefu, Zhong Xing, a scholar in the Ming Dynasty, said: "The record of the end of the Han Dynasty is a real history of poetry."
Cao Cao's The Journey to the West and The Journey to the West also reflected the military garrison life in the turmoil at the end of Han Dynasty. The former said: "Walking far away, people are hungry at the same time, and the axe is frozen", which vividly describes the hardships of marching on mountain roads; The latter said, "Ma Rong can't understand saddles, and his armor can't leave his side. When will Ran Ran return to his hometown? " It is also touching to express his thoughts and homesickness for his husband.
Another part of Cao Cao's Yuefu poems shows his ambition and indomitable enterprising spirit. This kind of poetry is generous and lyrical. Short songs are one of the representatives. There are eight explanations in the whole poem. The first two explanations are: "What is life like when drinking?" For example, morning dew is much more difficult to go to Japan. Du Kang is the only one who can be generous and selfless, expressing the poet's deep affection for the failure of time. Then through the description of the lack of talents and banquets, he showed his desire for talents. Finally, Xie wrote: "The mountain is not too high, the water is not too deep, the Duke of Zhou vomits food, and the world returns to his heart", which shows his grand mind of recruiting talents to complete the great cause of reunification. The whole poem stirs up impassioned emotions in deep melancholy, and we can feel the difficulty of establishing achievements in the chaotic reality and the poet's firm confidence. After several twists and turns, this poem vividly shows the poet's ups and downs, complex and changeable feelings, and his artistic achievements are also very high. Among them, three or four explanations, or half a chapter or a whole chapter copying the Book of Songs into sentences, make people feel nothing, which is also its artistic feature. In addition, his "Although a turtle is a longevity": "An old horse crouches in a tiger, with a thousand miles of ambition, a martyr is courageous in his twilight years", which shows the mind of a man with lofty ideals who is old and strong. Look at the sea: "The autumn wind is bleak and the waves are rough. The trip to the sun and the moon, if it comes out, shows the poet's broad mind through the vast and magnificent scenery of the sea, which can be said to be a relatively complete landscape poem in the history of China's poetry.
Cao Cao's poems are extremely natural, and the outstanding artistic feature is to reveal his mind in a simple form, so that people can read his poems as if they were people. He is an ambitious politician and strategist, so the poem is also "like a veteran, with a strong charm." Although it is very close to Han Yuefu in language form, it has its own unique style.
Cao Cao's poems not only had a positive impact on Jian 'an literature, but also had an important impact on later literature because of its great creativity. His practice of writing current affairs with ancient Yuefu poems has great enlightenment to later new Yuefu poems. From his old Yuefu, to Du Fu's new Yuefu, and then to the new Yuefu movement initiated by Bai Juyi and others, we can clearly see the continuous development. In addition, after the Book of Songs, there are few excellent four-character poems. Cao Cao inherited the lyrical tradition of "National Style" and "Xiaoya" and created some touching chapters, which made the four-character poem glow again. Later, Ji Kang, Tao Yuanming and other successful four-character poems all followed this path.
Cao Cao is also the "founder of political reform articles". His works are as creative as poetry. Influenced by Ci and Fu, prose in Han Dynasty tends to be parallel prose, and articles of various genres often form a certain fixed framework. Cao Cao's prose only writes what he wants to say freely in a simple and simple style, but it has its own distinct personality. For example, "Let the princess know her own story" pours out her life's worries with simple writing, which has the majestic boldness of a politician and the edge of struggle. The article said: "If the country is not alone, I wonder how many people will be emperors and how many will be kings." These words are beyond Cao Cao's power. Cao Cao's "simple and elegant" prose style shows the new characteristics of Jian 'an prose and has an important influence on the development of Wei and Jin prose.