Fuyu no ike no ue wa kōri ni tojirarete ikade ka tsuki no soko ni iru ran - Shui Wakashu(English Translation & Meaning)

冬の池の上は氷に閉ぢられて
いかでか月の底に入るらん

Roma-ji: Fuyu no ike no ue wa kōri ni tojirarete ikade ka tsuki no soko ni iru ran
English Translation: The winter pond's face
is shut tight beneath the ice,
so how, I wonder,
does the moon make its way down
to the bottom of the pond?
Meaning: The surface of the winter pond is sealed beneath the ice—how, then, does the moon find its way into its depths?
Commentary: Book Four Winter Poems 241

Headnote: "Topic unknown"
The poet wonders how the moon can enter the depths of the pond and be reflected there when its surface is sealed with ice. The mystery of the moonlight shining through the ice to the bottom is enjoyed in the form of a mock-logical question.

First line, "fuyu no ike no," means "of the winter pond," and has six syllables, one more than the norm.
Second line, "ue wa kōri ni," means "its surface by ice."
Third line, "tojirarete," means "being sealed."
Fourth line, "ikade ka tsuki no," means "how does the moon," with "ka" a questioning particle. Whereas the preceding poem said the moonlight polishes the ice, this one wonders at the moon passing through the ice to the bottom.
Final line, "soko ni iru ran," means "enter the depths, I wonder," with "ka" resolved by the attributive "ran."
Author: Unknown Poet
Source: Shui Wakashu
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