§12.61.1Δημοσθένης δὲ στρατεύσας ἐπὶ Πύλον ἐπεβάλετο τοῦτο τὸ χωρίον τειχίσαι κατὰ τῆς Πελοποννήσου· ἔστι γὰρ ὀχυρόν τε διαφερόντως καὶ κείμενον ἐν τῇ Μεσσηνίᾳ, τῆς δὲ Σπάρτης ἀπέχον σταδίους τετρακοσίους.
Demosthenes, having campaigned against Pylos, undertook to fortify this place against the Peloponnese; for it is exceptionally strong and situated in Messenia, at a distance of four hundred stades from Sparta.
ἔχων δὲ τότε καὶ ναῦς πολλὰς καὶ στρατιώτας ἱκανούς, ἐν εἴκοσιν ἡμέραις ἐτείχισε τὴν Πύλον.
Having at that time both many ships and sufficient soldiers, he fortified Pylos in twenty days.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ πυθόμενοι τὸν τειχισμὸν τῆς Πύλου συνήγαγον δύναμιν ἀξιόλογον οὐ μόνον πεζήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ναυτικήν.
When the Lacedaemonians learned of the fortification of Pylos, they gathered a remarkable force, not only land but also naval.
§12.61.2διὸ καὶ τριήρεσι μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν Πύλον ἔπλευσαν τετταράκοντα πέντε καλῶς κατεσκευασμέναις, πεζοῖς δὲ ἐστράτευσαν μυρίοις καὶ δισχιλίοις, αἰσχρὸν ἡγούμενοι τοὺς τῇ Ἀττικῇ δῃουμένῃ μὴ τολμήσαντας βοηθεῖν ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ χωρίον τειχίζειν καὶ καταλαμβάνεσθαι.
For this reason, they sailed against Pylos with forty-five well-equipped triremes, and campaigned with twelve thousand infantry, considering it a disgraceful thing that those who had not dared to bring help to Attica when it was being ravaged should fortify and occupy a place in the Peloponnese.
§12.61.3οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ἡγουμένου Θρασυμήδους πλησίον τῆς Πύλου κατεστρατοπέδευσαν.
So these men, under the leadership of Thrasymedes, encamped near Pylos.
ἐμπεσούσης δὲ ὁρμῆς τῷ πλήθει πάντα κίνδυνον ὑπομένειν καὶ βίᾳ χειρώσασθαι τὴν Πύλον, τὰς μὲν ναῦς ἀντιπρῴρους ἔστησαν τῷ στόματι τοῦ λιμένος, ὅπως διὰ τούτων ἐμφράξωσι τὸν εἴσπλουν τῶν πολεμίων, πεζῇ δʼ ἐκ διαδοχῆς προσβάλλοντες τῷ τείχει καὶ φιλοτιμίαν τὴν μεγίστην εἰσφερόμενοι θαυμασίους ἀγῶνας συνεστήσαντο.
And when an impulse fell upon the multitude to undergo every danger and master Pylos by force, they stationed their ships prow-to-prow at the mouth of the harbor, so that through these they might block the entrance of the enemy, while attacking the wall by land in turn and bringing the greatest zeal, they maintained wonderful struggles.
§12.61.4εἰς δὲ τὴν νῆσον τὴν καλουμένην Σφακτηρίαν, παρατεταμένην δʼ ἐπὶ μῆκος καὶ ποιοῦσαν εὔδιον τὸν λιμένα, διεβίβασαν τοὺς ἀρίστους τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων καὶ τῶν συμμάχων.
And to the island called Sphacteria, which stretched along the harbor and made it calm, they transported the best of the Lacedaemonians and their allies.
τοῦτο δʼ ἔπραξαν φθάσαι βουλόμενοι τοὺς Ἀθηναίους προκαταλαβέσθαι τὴν νῆσον, εὐφυῶς σφόδρα κειμένην πρὸς τὴν πολιορκίαν.
They did this because they wished to forestall the Athenians in occupying the island beforehand, as it was situated very advantageously for the siege.
§12.61.5διημερεύοντες δʼ ἐν ταῖς τειχομαχίαις καὶ κατατιτρωσκόμενοι διὰ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους ὑπεροχὴν οὐκ ἔληγον τῆς βίας· διὸ πολλοὶ μὲν αὐτῶν ἀπέθνησκον, οὐκ ὀλίγοι δὲ κατετραυματίζοντο πρὸς τόπον ὠχυρωμένον βιαζόμενοι.
Spending the whole day in fighting at the walls and being wounded because of the advantage of height from the wall, they did not cease from their violence; wherefore many of them died, and not a few were severely wounded as they forced their way against a fortified position.
§12.61.6οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι προκατειλημμένοι χωρίον καὶ φύσει καρτερόν, καὶ βελῶν τε πλήθη καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν χρησίμων πολλὴν ἔχοντες ἀφθονίαν, ἐκθύμως ἠμύνοντο· ἤλπιζον γὰρ κρατήσαντες τῆς ἐπιβολῆς πάντα τὸν πόλεμον περιαγαγεῖν εἰς τὴν Πελοπόννησον καὶ δῃώσειν ἀνὰ μέρος τὴν χώραν τῶν πολεμίων.
But the Athenians, having occupied beforehand a place that was also strong by nature, and having a great abundance of both a multitude of missiles and other useful supplies, defended themselves spiritedly; for they hoped, if they succeeded in their undertaking, to turn the whole war into the Peloponnese and to ravage the territory of the enemy in turn.