4.3.1 Gestalt characteristic of closure
In translators'recognition of image-G in classical Chinese poetry，an indication that was supported by principle of closure is that a closure tendency of Gestalt qualities of images can facilitate translators in recognizing holistic image-G of ST.Take an example from the translation of Wen Tingyun's poem“Early Departure”（温庭筠《商山早行》）：[4]
晨起动征铎，客行悲故乡。
Chenqi dong zhengduo,kexing bei guxiang.
鸡声茅店月，人迹板桥霜。
Jisheng maodian yue,renji banqiao shuang.
At dawn I rise and my cab bells begin(https://www.daowen.com)
To ring,but in thought of home I am lost.
The cock crows as the moon sets over thatched inn;
Footprints are left on wood bridge paved with frost.
(Translated by Xu Yuanchong)
The first four lines of the poem consist of six vivid natural images,namely,jisheng(the crowing of the cock),maodian(the thatched inn),yue(the moon),renji(footprints),banqiao(wood bridge)and shuang(frost).Concrete and vivid as these six images are,the holistic unity presented by these images appears unique artistic conception.These images as a whole present the closure tendency of Gestalt qualities and induce harmonious aesthetic qualities as well,that is,the artistic conception of poet's solitude and loneliness as a traveller.To be specific,all the images listed constitute a chilly spring dawn which truthfully reveals the poet's bitterness and lonely feeling in his forlorn trip.The natural images in the poem are meant to be suggestive of the poet's inner feelings.
It is noteworthy that the translator conveyed aesthetic connotation of these images by using four verbs(“set”,“crow”,“left”and“pave”)instead of literally translating them into four nouns one by one.The third and fourth lines in his translation are thematic configurations which are linguistically cohesive,thematically coherent and aesthetically affective.The two complete sentences give explicit expression to time-space relationship of the original image-G.In a sense,his translation is no longer deemed as a chain of individual images,a string of linguistic items,but as a complex,multi-dimensional structure conveying aesthetic qualities in Gestalt sense.It is obvious that he gave full play to the subjective initiative of the translation subject and profoundly appreciated the closure tendency of Gestalt qualities in these images.The translator's perception and cognizance of the closure tendency of Gestalt qualities in these images become the gateway to the actualization of artistic concept of original image-G in his translation.