English Original
night deepens
the snowplow's light
fading in the drift
Jacek Margolak
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
夜色漸深
鏟雪車的燈光漸漸
消失在雪堆中
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
夜色渐深
铲雪车的灯光渐渐
消失在雪堆中
Bio Sketch
Born in Rzeszów, Jacek Margolak now lives in Kielce, Poland. A printing technologist by profession, he has spent nearly twenty years writing Japanese short-form poetry, sometimes blending haiku with prose. His work appears in leading international journals and has received awards in Polish and Japanese competitions.
The contrast between “night deepens” in L1 and “the snowplow’s light / fading in the drift” in L2–3 is both visually striking and emotionally evocative. The two images suggest simultaneous but opposing movements: darkness gathers and expands, while light diminishes and recedes. Between these forces, the snowplow remains—a distinctly human presence continuing its work within the deepening night.
ReplyDeleteThis tension gives the haiku emotional depth without explicitly naming an emotion. The light is not merely faint; we watch it gradually disappear into the snow, making its fading feel immediate and almost tangible. At the same time, the presence of the snowplow suggests persistence: human effort continues even as darkness and snow seem to absorb the traces of that effort.
The haiku therefore holds two forces in delicate opposition—darkness advancing and light receding—while human activity persists between them. Its emotional power comes from leaving the relationship among these images unresolved. Rather than telling us what the scene means or how we should feel about it, the haiku allows the contrast between darkness, fading light, and continued effort to resonate on its own. The result is a quiet sense of vulnerability and perseverance, conveyed entirely through the images themselves.