歳時記の言葉vol.12 "木下闇" / The seasonal words in Japanese Haiku vol.12 "koshita yami"

"木下闇"は直訳すると"darkness under trees"となる、夏を表現する季語です。

夏の日本では、木々の茂みが濃くなり、その下に、昼間でも微かに暗い空間ができるものです。その闇は影でできるもので、漆黒の闇とは異なります。明るいところから森に足を踏み入れると、視界が暗くなるものです。"木下闇"はその暗さ自体と同様に、明るいところとの感覚の違いも表します。芭蕉以前の古来から伝わる言葉です。

The seasonal word "koshita yami" can be translated literally as "darkness under trees", and expresses summer.

During the Japanese summer, clumps of trees grow thickly, and form slightly darker spaces under them even in the daytime. The darkness is a shadowy darkness, and differs from pitch-darkness. When we set foot in a forest from a light place, our sight dims the lights. "Koshita yami" refers to the darkness itself and the difference in feeling as well. The word has its origin in ancient times before Basho.