| Para. 13
tumultuous: adj. characterized by tumult; noisy and disorderly 骚乱的，吵闹的
libidinous: adj. (fml.) having or expressing strong sexual feelings
C.f. libido: sexual desire
file off: 排成一列纵队; 归档
Q: Why do you think the author describes the goatherd and his goats?
A: The description adds a local color. These are scenes that you would come across traveling in Greece. As is the description of Lamia, the banal, everyday trappings of modern Greece contrast with the heroic events of the past.
Para. 14
proper: (after noun) according to the most exact meaning of the word 严格意义上的；狭义的
e.g. The celebrations proper always begin on the last stroke of midnight.
正式庆典总是在午夜钟声的最后一响开始。
Sure enough, there was a memorial, level with the place where that mixed force had once stood in the pass, a nineteenth-century monument, grandiose and expensive.
level (with sth.): adj. having the same height, position, value, etc. as sth.
e.g. Are these pictures level? 这些画齐了吗？
This latest rise is intended to keep wages level with inflation.
最近这次加薪目的是使工资与通货膨胀保持相同的水平。
grandiose: adj. here means very grand 极其壮观的
pay attention to the basic meaning of grandiose: adj. (disapproving) seeming very impressive but too large, complicated, expensive, etc. to be practical or possible 华而不实的；浮夸的
e.g. a grandiose opera house
The grandiose scheme for a journey across the desert came to noting.
不切实际的穿越沙漠计划已成泡影。
果然那儿有一个纪念碑。碑的位置与当年希腊混合部队坚守的隘口处于同一水平高度。这是一个19世纪风格的纪念碑，很壮观，而且造价颇高。
Part IV (Para. 15-17): a transition from the description of the place to the description of the battle
Para. 15
haunt: v. to visit (a place) often; to frequent
drama: n. dramatic quality
crop-fledged field: a field grown with crops
C.f. fledged: adj. (of birds) able to fly 能飞翔的；羽翼已丰的
fledgling: n. a young bird that has just learnt to fly; a person that is new and without experience （刚会飞的）幼鸟；初出茅庐的人
e.g. fledgling democracies 新兴的民主国家
arid: adj. lacking moisture, especially having insufficient rainfall to support trees or woody plants
outcrop: n. 露出地面的石头 v. （石头）露出地面
arid with outcroppings of rock 土地干旱贫瘠，到处是露出地面的石头
gully: n. a small, narrow channel, usu. formed by a stream or by rain 溪谷；冲沟
Q: Why does the author say “Nature has not done her best here for the story of that battle.”? What does he mean?
A: The sentence serves two purposes. One is transition, linking up history with the physical description of the setting. The other is, although the battle is famous in history and has far-reaching significance, the place is not at all imposing. The setting of the site and the significance of the battle do not match.
If you go to the Hot Gates, take some historical knowledge and your imagination with you.
Paraphrase: When you visit the Hot Gates, the place does not appear imposing or dramatic and it does not seem to be a likely site for a historic event. Therefore, in order to reconstruct the scene, you need to have some knowledge of history and imagination.
Para. 16
sheepish: adj. awkwardly shy or bashful; meek; timid 懦弱的, 羞怯的
scruffy: adj. shabby; untidy肮脏的, 不整洁的, 破旧的
Para. 17
make of: to understand; to conclude to be the meaning or character of
Q: What adjective does the author use to describe the setting? Why?
A: Hot, quiet, deserted and dusty. To set a contrast between the banal environment and the significant and heroic battle led by Leonidas.
Part V (Paras. 18-26): the numerical strength of the Persian army and the courage and heroism of the Greek army
Para. 18
sullen: adj. (literary) (of the sky or weather) gloomy; dark and unpleasant
e.g. a sullen grey sky 灰蒙蒙的阴沉的天空
lengthen: v. to make or become longer
the sullen afternoon lengthening: 昏暗沉闷的下午慢慢地过去
ribaldry: n. coarse or vulgar language or humor (usu. about sex)
…who had to do as they were told but knew better than their leaders…
These soldiers had to carry out orders of their leaders although they were wise enough to know that these orders should not be carried out.
cynical: adj. expressing or exhibiting scorn and bitter mockery 挑剔挖苦的，冷嘲热讽的
e.g. cynical laughter 冷笑
rel. other meaning: scornful of the motives, virtue, or integrity of others
愤世嫉俗的，讽世的：对别人的动机、善行或正直鄙视的
e.g. cynical distrust of friendly strangers 对和善的陌生人轻蔑的不信任
n. Cynicism犬儒主义à Diogenes: Greek philosopher who founded the Cynic school of philosophy, stressing self-control and the pursuit of virtue. He is said to have once wandered through the streets of Athens with a lantern, searching for an honest man
Then there had come a flash and glitter from the flank of the mountain across the valley.
“flash and glitter” stands for the weapons in the hands of the invading army, this is metonymy.
flank: n. the side of sth.
The statement means that then suddenly the Persian army emerged.
Para. 19
seep: v. to flow out slowly through small openings
inarticulate: a. unexpressed or unable to express clearly
sullen: a. silently showing anger; sulky
Para. 20
patently: adv. clearly, obviously
neck: n. narrow pass狭窄地带
e.g. the neck of a bottle 瓶颈 a neck of land 地峡
lengthening rivers of men: 长长的人流
fish-scale: 鱼鳞
turbaned: adj. 戴头巾的,包着头巾的
bronze-clad: adj. 穿着铜甲的；批铜甲的
trousered: adj. 穿着裤子的
speckle: v. to mark with small spots
flicker: unsteady light
press forward: 奋力向前
Para. 21
league: n. (archaic) a varying measure of traveling distance by land, usu. about three miles
里格：长度单位，相当于3.0法定英里（4.8公里）
headdress: n. 头巾；头饰
oxhide shield: n. 牛皮盾牌
chariot: n. a two-wheeled vehicle drawn by horses, used in ancient warfare 双轮战车
swarm: n. a large group
Para. 22
When that assembly of nations heaved itself off the earth and marched, the ground shuddered like the head of a drum.
assembly of nations: the gathering together of many nations
heave itself off the earth: to start to move
当来自各国的军队起步行进时，大地颤抖，声如擂鼓。
Para. 23
panicky: adj. (infml.) anxious about sth.; feeling or showing panic
C.f. panic-stricken 惊慌失措的
lousy: adj. (infml.) very bad; extremely contemptible; nasty 极坏的；糟糕的；恶劣的
Para. 24.
pitch the tent: 搭起帐篷
thump: v. to tread heavily; to make a dull, heavy sound步履沉重地走; 重击
peer: v. to look closely and searchingly as in trying to see more clearly
wheel: v. to turn around quickly or suddenly 迅速转身；猛然转身
e.g. She wheeled around and started running. 她突然转身就跑。
spurt: n. a sudden, brief burst (of) 迸发
Para. 25
The men in the pass would not recognize the obvious.
The Greek soldiers refused to admit defeat despite the vast numbers facing them.
pushover: n. (infml.) a thing that is easy to do or win 轻易的事；容易获得的胜利
e.g. The game will be a pushover. 赢得这场比赛将会是轻而易举的事。
Para. 26
It is said that Xerxes leaped from his throne three times in terror for his whole army.
The story goes that Xerxes was so worried about the stability and morale of his army that he jumped up from his chair three times in fear.
据说薛西斯一世由于担心军心不稳，三次从皇帝宝座上跳了下来。
At any moment, rumor could have sent those savage levies scrambling away into the mountains.
levy: n. a troop enrolled所征兵员
scramble: v. to make one’s way over rough ground, rocks, etc. by clambering; to move hastily or awkwardly
谣言随时都可能让由这些强征来的野蛮人组成的军队作鸟兽散，匆忙逃进周围的高山。
If the soldiers immediately engaging the Greeks had run away, panic would have spread like a heath fire.
engage: v. (fml.) fight with sb.
heath: n. an area of open uncultivated land, usu. on acid sandy soil, with heather, coarse grasses, etc. 荒地
heath fire: 燎原之火
如果与希腊人直接交手的士兵逃跑了，恐慌就会像燎原之火一样蔓延开来。
Part VI (Paras. 27-36): the final scene of the Battle of the Hot Gates: the work of a traitor, the final decision of Leonidas, the significance of the decision
Para. 27
stroll: v. to walk in a leisurely way
quiver: v. to vibrate with a slight rapid motion as the result of air currents, etc.
brassy: a. loud and blaring 响亮刺耳的
Para. 30
The cliffs had a brutal grandeur.
brutal: a. harsh or rigorous
grandeur: n. splendor; magnificence
悬崖峭壁使人感到一种粗犷的美。
They were unexpectedly planless and looked little like the smooth contours I had pored over on the map.
contour: n. the outline of a land
峭壁显得十分无序，令人吃惊，完全不是我在研究地图时所看到的那种平坦有序的地形。
The rocks here are igneous and do not fracture along predictable lines.
这儿的石头都是火成岩，石头的裂缝极不规则。
…sudden wafts of spice that took the back of the nostrils in a sneezy grip.
……waves of pungent smell were suddenly inhaled and made me sneeze continuously.
……突然一阵刺鼻的味道直钻鼻孔，让我不停地打喷嚏。
Para. 31
snatch: v. to take away or from, esp. suddenly
blinding: a. very bright
grope: v. to feel or search about blindly, uncertainly
tangle: n. a confused mass of interwoven threads, etc.
Para. 33
Suddenly, the years and the reading fused with the thing.
Suddenly, history, my knowledge and my thoughts merged with the physical environment of the place. The whole thing became an entity, vivid and alive.
Obscurely, and in part, I understood what it had meant to Leonidas when he looked up at these cliffs in the dawn light and saw that their fledging of pines was not thick enough to hide the glitter of arms.
朦胧地，我在某种程度上懂得了当利奥尼达斯在拂晓的晨光中抬头朝那些山峰望去，看到稀疏的松林里漏出的兵器的闪光时，他是怎么想的。
Para. 34
It was then…that the brooding and desperate thinking of Leonidas crystallized into one clear idea.
brooding: a. sad; worrying
If the rest of Greece beyond the wall did not unite and make its stand, the game was up.
make a stand: to take a position for resistance
the game was up: all chances for success were gone
如果隘口后面的希腊各城邦不能联合起来进行抵抗，那么一切都完了。
He sent away…into the open, where they could die properly and in due form.
due (before noun): (fml.) that is suitable or right in the circumstances 适当的；合适的
to fight and die in the open is the most suitable way to the Spartan soldiers
e.g. to make due allowance for sht. 适当考虑某事
After due consideration, we have decided to appoint Mr. Davis to the job.
Part VII (Paras. 37-39): the dying message of the Spartans echoes its laconic heroism down the centuries
It is not just that the human spirit reacts directly and beyond all argument to a story of sacrifice and courage, as a wine glass must vibrate to the sound of the violin.
beyond all argument: unmistakably 毫不含糊地
这不仅仅是对于一个英勇牺牲的英雄事迹人们会在感情上做出直接地、毫不含糊地反应，就像酒杯一定会对小提琴的乐声做出回应一样。
…way back and at the hundredth remove, that company stood in the right line of history.
remove: n. 距离；差距；间距
e.g. Charlotte seemed to be living at one remove from reality.
夏洛特好像生活在现实以外的什么地方。
at the hundredth remove: at the far remoteness
that company: those Spartan soldiers
Long, long ago, those Spartan soldiers stood for the right direction of the development of history.
A little of Leonidas lies in the fact that I can go where I like and write what I like. He contributed to set us free.
Some of Leonidas’ contribution is that his act helped to some extent the realization of the freedom that I have now, like traveling and writing. | 
