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Eight years they waited and during this time the Greeks were not idle. They knew that a final attack was to be expected but they did not agree upon the best way to avert the danger. Some people wanted to increase the army. Others said that a strong fleet was necessary for success. The two parties led by Aristides (for the army) and Themistocles (the leader of the biggernavy men) fought each other bitterly and nothing was done until Aristides was exiled. Then Themistocles had his chance and he built all the ships he could and turned the Peiraias into a strong naval base.
此后的8年，波斯人養精蓄銳、虎視眈眈，而希臘人也絲毫不敢懈怠。他們知道，一場暴雨般的攻擊將是指日可待的事情，但在如何應對這場危機的問題上，雅典內部發生了分歧。一部分人希望增強陸軍的實力，另一部分人認為建立一支強大的海軍才是擊敗波斯人的關鍵。支持陸軍和支持海軍的兩派分別由阿里斯蒂里司和泰米斯托克利領導，他們彼此攻擊，爭執不下，而雅典的防御問題就這樣徒勞的拖延著。終于，陸軍派的阿里斯蒂里司在政治斗爭失敗后被流放，泰米斯托克利贏得了主動權。他放手大干起來，傾盡人力財力建造戰船，并把比雷埃夫斯變成了一個堅不可摧的海軍基地。
In the year 481 B.C. a tremendous Persian army appeared in Thessaly, a province of northern Greece. In this hour of danger, Sparta, the great military city of Greece, was elected commander-in-chief. But the Spartans cared little what happened to northern Greece provided their own country was not invaded, They neglected to fortify the passes that led into Greece.
公元前481年，一支龐大的波斯軍隊赫然出現在希臘北部省份色薩利地區，希臘半島再度面臨滅頂之災。在此危急存亡的關頭，英勇的軍事城邦斯巴達被推為希臘聯軍的軍事領袖。可斯巴達人對北方的戰事有些漫不經心，因為他們自己的城邦還未受到攻擊。在這樣的心態下，他們疏忽了防守從北方通往希臘腹地的要道。
A small detachment of Spartans under Leonidas had been told to guard the narrow road between the high mountains and the sea which connected Thessaly with the southern provinces. Leonidas obeyed his orders. He fought and held the pass with unequalled bravery. But a traitor by the name of Ephialtes who knew the little byways of Malis guided a regiment of Persians through the hills and made it possible for them to attack Leonidas in the rear. Near the Warm Wells-the Thermopylae-a terrible battle was fought. When night came Leonidas and his faithful soldiers lay dead under the corpses of their enemies.
斯巴達國王李奧尼達奉命率一支小軍團 去防守連接色薩利和希臘南部省份的道路。這條道路位于巍峨的高山與大海之間，易守難攻。李奧尼達指揮勇猛的斯巴達士兵以寡敵眾、浴血奮戰，成功地阻擋了波斯大軍前進的步伐。但一個名叫埃非阿爾蒂斯的叛徒出賣了希臘人，他引導一支波斯軍隊沿梅里斯附近的小路穿越山隘，深入到李奧尼達的后方，從腹背發起攻擊。在溫 泉關附近（德摩比勒），一場血腥的戰役打響了，雙方從白天一直拼殺到夜幕降臨。李奧尼達和斯巴達士兵全部陣亡，身邊躺滿了波斯士兵的尸體。
