Now the Athenians had not been idle since their great victory at Marathon.
這時人們在雅典自取得那場馬拉松大勝利以來一直沒閑著。
And they had a new leader called Themistocles, an astute and far-sighted man,
尤其是一位名叫泰米斯托克利斯的新領(lǐng)袖,一個特別智慧和目光遠(yuǎn)大的人,
who repeatedly warned his fellow citizens that a miracle like Marathon could only happen once,
一再地對他的同胞們說:像馬拉松這樣的奇跡只會發(fā)生一次,
and that if Athens were to continue to hold out against the Persians, it must have a fleet. So a fleet was built.
如果要長期抵抗波斯人,雅典就必須有一支艦隊(duì)。于是,這支艦隊(duì)建立起來了。
Themistocles had the whole of Athens evacuated, not that the population can have been very large in those days,
泰米斯托克利斯讓全體居民撤離雅典——當(dāng)時大概沒有很多人
and sent to the little island of Salamis nearby.
并將他們送到雅典附近的薩拉米斯小島上。
The Athenian fleet then positioned itself by this island.
雅典艦隊(duì)在這個島附近集結(jié)。
When the Persian land army arrived and found Athens abandoned, they set fire to the city and razed it to the ground,
當(dāng)波斯陸軍開進(jìn)來時,他們發(fā)現(xiàn)雅典是座空城,便燒毀了這座城市,
while the Athenians on their island remained unharmed as they watched their burning city from afar.
但是對從遠(yuǎn)處看著自己的城市化為灰燼的雅典人來說卻毫發(fā)未傷。
But now the Persian fleet appeared, and threatened to surround Salamis.
不過,現(xiàn)在波斯艦隊(duì)駛過來并威脅要圍困薩拉米斯島。
The allies panicked, and were all for taking to their ships and leaving the Athenians to their fate.
雅典人的同盟者開始害怕了,他們要乘自己的船逃離而去并丟下雅典人不管。
At this moment Themistocles demonstrated his extraordinary ingenuity and daring.
這時泰米斯托克利斯顯示了自己的過人才智和膽識。