Chinese poem illustration: 观沧海 A Look to Dark Ocean by Cao Cao
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One of a kind through Chinese history: as a father with his two sons were all greatest poets, been a general, premier minister and phantom emperor, leading poets and writers of a very critical poetry genre: Wind and Bone of Han and Wei dynasty(汉魏风骨).
This poem is of the exclusive sentiment only preserved by kings and emperors, yet the poet, Cao Cao(曹操) had never been an emperor but his son. Through this poem, we could still feel the ambition Cao Cao had, he is a real king of no crown. Some sentences were deeply valued and recited till today.
The key is not the dark vast ocean which resembles his huge capacity from mother earth, it is the sun, moon and stars matter, which is the mandate of heaven in ancient China. The poem is an obscure and indirect declaration by Cao Cao: I am the lord, I watch the nature carefully, I have the complete mandate of heaven!
观沧海
曹操
东临碣石，以观沧海。
水何澹澹，山岛竦峙。
树木丛生，百草丰茂。
秋风萧瑟，洪波涌起。
日月之行，若出其中；
星汉灿烂，若出其里。
幸甚至哉，歌以咏志。
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