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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/8013
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I'm trying my hand at translating a few Korean literary texts into English. Something I come across often while translating is the phrasing "jet-black(/pitch-black) eyes(/night/darkness)" which describes something very dark/black.

I don't really like using "jet/pitch-black" but I'm unable to come up with better wording. Please advise me on how to better rephrase this in a way that isn't too long, doesn't go overboard and fits within the context. Please note, this is not a single word request but a request for advice on better writing.

A few excerpts from my writing:

> The first thing that sprang to mind as I watched him walk out of the arrivals gate and look around the airport was the crazy fervor I was stricken with a decade ago and the boundless darkness that lurked in the two mountains. The dense forest stained **jet-black** by pine resin, and the tilting house I peered at every night set the backdrop.

* * *

> I stopped speaking for a moment. My mind harked back to the village at every turn of the story flowing from my mouth. I also recalled one **pitch-black night** when it dawned on me that as long as he existed, I wouldn't ever amount to anything more than third-rate.

* * *

> He did not reply. His **pitch-black eyes** , impossible to read, were scary.

* * *

> How could I not be fearful of the night that was shrouding the world in front of me in **pitch-black darkness**?

* * *

Original score: 5