PureInsight | December 12, 2025
[PureInsight.org] “Though the tortoise lives long, it still has its end; The soaring serpent rides the mist, yet turns to dust in time. The old steed, though stalled, still yearns to gallop a thousand miles; The noble man, though aged, keeps his heroic heart alive. The span of life is not entirely ruled by Heaven; By nurturing joy and harmony, one may attain longevity. How fortunate indeed — I sing this song to express my will.”
This poem was written by Cao Cao in 207 CE, on his triumphant return from his northern campaign against the Wuhuan. At the time, he was 53 years old, had unified northern China, and was at the pinnacle of his career—the brightest moment of his life.
The most widely quoted lines are: “The old steed, though stalled, still yearns to gallop a thousand miles; The noble man, though aged, keeps his heroic heart alive.” People have long admired these lines for their spirit of perseverance and ambition, often using them as a motto of inspiration.
However, when we read the poem as a whole, it becomes clear that Cao Cao’s true message goes beyond worldly striving—he was expressing a kind of spiritual awakening, a clarity about transcending the cycle of life and death to attain eternal existence.
During the Han dynasty, many alchemists and Taoist practitioners pursued Tao, and the social atmosphere was steeped in such beliefs. Cao Cao himself was deeply familiar with Taoist thought and believed in it, but he also understood that his historical mission was not to withdraw from the world. Through this poem, he conveyed a balance between his aspiration toward spiritual cultivation and his role in history.
“Though the tortoise lives long, it still has its end; The soaring serpent rides the mist, yet turns to dust in time.” The divine tortoise is said to live for millennia but still has its end, and the flying serpent can ascend through the mist, yet turns to dust — The beginning here is quite exceptional. The divine tortoise and the flying serpent both are legendary creatures. But in fact, they truly exist — it’s just that ordinary people can’t see them. Their lifespan, from an ordinary person’s perspective, is already something unattainable. Yet Cao Cao uses the words “still” “yet” reveal not mere lamentation but a mindset that reaches beyond worldly glory to attain the eternity of life. Only someone with a deep spiritual foundation could write such lines — they reflect Cao Cao’s far surpassing the pursuit of fame and power.
“The old steed, though stalled, still yearns to gallop a thousand miles;
The noble man, though aged, keeps his heroic heart alive.” At a surface level, these lines describe an aging hero who refuses to yield to time, embodying Cao Cao’s indomitable ambition in his later years. But this is only a shallow interpretation. His true pursuit went far beyond worldly achievement. When he speaks of “the noble man,” he is not merely referring to a patriot or warrior, but to the cultivator of the Way (Tao) whose spiritual aspiration remains undimmed even in old age. If one must persistently strive even for temporal success, how much more so for the eternal cultivation of life itself. This meaning connects seamlessly with the rest of the poem.
“The span of life is not entirely ruled by Heaven; By nurturing joy and harmony, one may attain longevity.” Literally, this suggests that one’s lifespan is not wholly determined by fate — by cultivating both body and mind and maintaining inner peace, one may extend one’s years. But in the context of the poem, Cao Cao’s meaning reaches further: he is not talking about physical longevity through health and discipline, but about attaining immortality of the spirit through cultivation.
“How fortunate indeed — I sing this song to express my will.” When Cao Cao wrote this poem, he was filled with unparalleled joy. He sang not merely from worldly triumph but from realizing the true meaning of life and death. The ending mirrors the beginning: though he could not yet devote himself fully to cultivation because of his worldly role, he had already awakened to the truth of life’s impermanence and the possibility of transcendence. To reach such enlightenment at the height of worldly success — this, to him, was supreme fortune, and the joy was beyond words.
Chinese version: https://www.zhengjian.org/node/298988
