There are more than twenty poems by Cao Cao, all of which are Yuefu poems. The content can be roughly divided into three categories. One is related to current affairs, the other is mainly to express ideals, and the other is poetry about immortals.
His works related to current affairs include Lu Luxing, Good Li Xing, Bitter Cold Travel, Walking Out of Xiamen, etc. Two songs, Autumn Journey and Good, were written in the early years of Jian 'an. The foregoing reflects that He Jinmou murdered eunuchs, and Dong Zhuo went to Luoyang for insurrection. The second article is about the states and counties in Kanto, each with its own ambitions, fighting with each other, and keeping pace with each other in content. Poetry describes this historical process in concise language, so it is called "A Record of the Late Han Dynasty, an authentic work of poetry history" (Zhong Xing's Ancient Poems Return). What is particularly commendable is that in the poem "A Journey to Luxury", he wrote the profound sufferings of the broad masses of the people in the war in a sympathetic tone: "When a cockroach is born, everyone dies, and the bones are exposed in the wild, and there are no crows in a thousand miles. There are hundreds of people left behind, which makes people feel sad. " A Journey to Bitter Cold was written in the 11th year of Jian 'an. The poem describes the coldness, desolation and precipitousness of Taihang Mountain in winter, with vivid images, and also writes the poet's inner complex feelings. "Out of Xiamen" was written in the twelfth year of Jian 'an, and the five rings levied three counties. This poem includes "Yan" (prelude) and four explanations. Yan concentrated on the poet's complex mood when he went to war. Explain "Watching the Sea" and write the impressions when marching through Jieshi; Second, explain Winter in October. Third, write about what you saw and heard on your way home. Fourth, explain "although the tortoise lives long" and write about the ideological activities after winning this important battle. Among them, "Looking at the Sea" describes the seascape, "The autumn wind is bleak, the waves are rough, and the trip between the sun and the moon is unexpected; If the stars are brilliant, unexpected and magnificent, it embodies the poet's broad mind of embracing the universe and devouring the sun and the moon. "Although a turtle lives for a long time" expresses the poet's view on life and career with a series of vivid metaphors: "An old man riding on a horse, aiming at a thousand miles, a martyr died with great courage". This is the poet's lifelong practice.