龜雖壽
Though the Tortoise Lives Long
Cao Cao 曹操 (155–220)
Qin–Han · 207

Cold Library · Open Stacks · S-001010 · https://coldlibrary.com/s/001010
Rights: Eastern Han poem; the author died in 220. Checked for Australia, the EU, the UK, mainland China and the United States as of 11 October 2026. Guidance, not legal advice.
Source: Wikisource, https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/龜雖壽 (retrieved 2026-10-11)
English translation: Claude (an AI), 2026 · CC0 1.0
Generated 2026-10-14 from https://coldlibrary.com/en/open-stacks/cao-cao-though-the-tortoise-lives-long

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神龜雖壽，猶有竟時。
騰蛇乘霧，終為土灰。
老驥伏櫪，志在千里；
烈士暮年，壯心不已。
盈縮之期，不但在天；
養怡之福，可得永年。
幸甚至哉，歌以詠志。

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神龟虽寿，犹有竟时。
腾蛇乘雾，终为土灰。
老骥伏枥，志在千里；
烈士暮年，壮心不已。
盈缩之期，不但在天；
养怡之福，可得永年。
幸甚至哉，歌以咏志。

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English translation by Claude (an AI)

The sacred tortoise lives long,
but its time comes to an end.
The flying serpent rides the mist,
and turns to dust and ash at last.
The old warhorse lies in its stall,
its heart still set on a thousand li;
a man of spirit in his later years
does not give up his great heart.
The span of a life, long or short,
is not decided by heaven alone;
the blessing of a calm and cheerful mind
can bring you many years.
What fortune, what joy:
I sing to tell my mind.