漆黒の・・・ ― pitch

日本語の表現で、「漆黒の闇」というのがありますが、英語では、


pitch black


もしくは


pitch dark


と表現します。


I was attacked while running.

A long time ago I was out for a run after work, enjoying the solitude of a crisp fall night. Daylight saving time had just ended, so it was pitch black. Without warning, or any menacing-looking characters in sight, my attacker grabbed me from behind and attempted to pull me into the darkness of a golf course by the side of the busy suburban road I’d been running along. With his hands around me I screamed, kicked, and violently scratched with all my might. Somehow I managed to spin myself around, catching a clear look at his face as I wriggled out of his grip to run away—fast. I kept running until I reached home and called the police.
(Lori Adams. 11 Safety Tips for Running in the Dark. Runner's World. December 8, 2015.)


"pitch"は野球のピッチングや音高のピッチとは別の単語で、タールや松脂を意味する単語です。

密度の濃い黒、という点では、漆にしろタールや松脂にしろ、似たようなものかと思われます。

ところで、ことわざで「朱に交われば赤くなる」は英語では、


He who touches pitch shall be defiled therewith.


と言うそうです。

こちらはことわざが「赤」なのに対し、英語は「黒」なのですね。