Mizu no omo ni yadoru tsuki sae irinuru wa ike no soko ni mo yama ya aruran

水の面に宿る月さへ入りぬるは
池の底にも山やあるらん

Roma-ji: Mizu no omo ni yadoru tsuki sae irinuru wa ike no soko ni mo yama ya aruran
English Translation: Even the moon that lodged
on the surface of the water
sinks and disappears:
can it be that there are hills
in the depths beneath the pond?
Meaning: Even the moon reflected on the water's surface has set and vanished; can there be mountains at the bottom of the pond as well?
Commentary: Autumn Poems 313

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "The moon"
This poem continues the topic of the moon. It is natural for the moon in the sky to set behind the mountains, but if even the moon reflected on the pond disappears, can there be a mountain at the bottom of the pond for it to set behind? It is a witty poem likening the vanishing of the reflected moon to the moon setting behind the hills.
Taking up the cruel mountain rim of the preceding poem, it extends that resentment into the question whether there are mountains even at the bottom of the pond.

First line, “mizu no omo ni”: a hypermetric line of six syllables, on the surface of the water.
Second line, “yadoru tsuki sae”: yadoru is to be reflected and stay, and sae means even, not only the moon in the sky but the moon on the water too.
Third line, “irinuru wa”: that it has set and disappeared; nuru is the attributive of the perfective nu.
Fourth line, “ike no soko ni mo”: mo implies at the bottom of the pond as in the sky.
Fifth line, “yama ya aruran”: ya is a question particle and ran present conjecture, can there be mountains there.
Author: Saigyō
Source: Sankashu
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