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Of course, the Greeks enjoyed a certain degree of safety because their country lay hidden beyond the deep waters of the Aegean. But here their old enemies, the Phoenicians, stepped forward with offers of help and advice to the Persians. If the Persian King would provide the soldiers, the Phoenicians would guarantee to deliver the necessary ships to carry them to Europe.It was the year 492 before the birth of Christ, and Asia made ready to destroy the rising power of Europe.
當然，隔著愛琴海的洶涌波濤，希臘人擁有一定程度的安全感。但在這里，他們的老敵人，腓尼基人，上前幫助和建議提供了波斯人。如果波斯國王會提供士兵，腓尼基人將保證提供必要的船只帶他們到歐洲。這是基督誕生前的492年，而亞洲則準備摧毀歐洲的崛起的力量。
As a final warning the King of Persia sent messengers to the Greeks asking for "earth and water" as a token of their submission. The Greeks promptly threw the messengers into the nearest well where they would find both "earth and water" in large abundance and thereafter of course peace was impossible.
作為最后的警告，波斯國王派使者到希臘要求他們"土地和水"作為他們屈服的象征。希臘人把使者們扔到最近的井里，在那里他們會發現大量的"地球和水"，當然，和平是不可能的。
But the Gods of High Olympus watched over their children and when the Phoenician fleet carrying the Persian troops was near Mount Athos, the Storm-God blew his cheeks until he almost burst the veins of his brow, and the fleet was destroyed by a terrible hurricane and the Persians were all drowned.
但在高大的奧林匹斯山上的眾神看著他們的孩子，當腓尼基艦隊攜帶的波斯軍隊靠近阿索斯山時，風暴神吹他的臉直到他幾乎爆裂的額頭上的靜脈。艦隊被一個可怕的颶風所摧毀。波斯人都淹死了。
Two years later more Persians came. This time they sailed straight across the Aegean Sea and landed near the village of Marathon. As soon as the Athenians heard this they sent their army of ten thousand men to guard the hills that surrounded the Marathonian plain. At the same time they despatched a fast runner to Sparta to ask for help. But Sparta was envious of the fame of Athens and refused to come to her assistance.
兩年后他們又回來了。這一次他們徑直穿過了愛琴海，在馬拉松村的附近著陸。當雅典人一聽到風聲，他們就派出一萬人的軍隊守衛住包圍的馬拉松平原的山脈。同時他們派遣一個跑得快的人到斯巴達尋求幫助。但斯巴達很羨慕雅典的名氣而拒絕來幫助她。
