Some sixty authenticated poems written by Mao Zedong were the subject of studies that highlight the relationship between the statesman and his literary talent, through rather socio-political or psychological approaches. The present paper intends to focus on his poetic creation, by scrutinizing from the inside the textual and scriptural tension that animates the process of reappropriation and reinvention in relation to classical Chinese poetry, in particular to the “heroic and free” or fiery style ( 豪放). Thematic and rhetorical analyses aim to show how the Promethean sublime nourishes a virile poetics in Mao Zedong’s work and an unusual verbal dynamic, which has the potential to transform conventions into speech, and poetry into a principle of action.