§4.21.1ἔδοξέ τε δὴ λέγειν πιστὰ καὶ ἡγεῖτο Ἐμπεράμῳ καὶ τοῖς Σπαρτιάταις.
And he indeed seemed to speak trustworthy things, and he led the way for Emperamos and the Spartans.
ἦν δὲ ἡ πορεία χαλεπή σφισιν ἅτε ἐν σκότῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀνιέντος τοῦ ὑετοῦ· ὅμως δὲ ὑπὸ προθυμίας ἤνυσαν, καὶ ὡς κατὰ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν τῆς Εἴρας ἐγένοντο, ὑπερέβαινον κλίμακάς τε προστιθέντες καὶ ὅτῳ τις ἐδύνατο ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ.
The march was difficult for them, inasmuch as it was in the dark and the rain did not let up; nevertheless, through eagerness they accomplished it, and when they came to the acropolis of Eira, they scaled it, applying ladders and by whatever other way each could.
τοῖς δὲ Μεσσηνίοις παρείχετο μὲν τοῦ παρόντος κακοῦ καὶ ἄλλα αἴσθησιν, μάλιστα δὲ οἱ κύνες οὐ κατὰ τὰ εἰωθότα ὑλακτοῦντες, ἀλλὰ συνεχεστέρᾳ καὶ βιαιοτέρᾳ τῇ κραυγῇ χρώμενοι.
To the Messenians, other things too provided perception of the present evil, but most of all the dogs, barking not in their usual manner but using a more continuous and violent howling.
γνόντες οὖν τὸν ὕστατον ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀναγκαιότατον σφᾶς ἀγῶνα ἐπειληφότα, οὐδὲ τὰ ὅπλα ἅπαντα ἀνελάμβανον, ἀλλʼ ὅτῳ προχείρῳ μάλιστα ἐντύχοι τις, ἁρπάζοντες ἤμυνον τῇ πατρίδι, ἣ μόνη σφίσιν ἐλείπετο ἐκ τῆς Μεσσηνίας πάσης.
Knowing therefore that the final and most inevitable struggle had overtaken them, they did not even take up all their arms, but snatching whatever was most ready at hand each might light upon, they defended their fatherland, which alone was left to them from all Messenia.
§4.21.2πρῶτοι δὲ ᾔσθοντο ἔνδον τῶν πολεμίων ὄντων καὶ ἐβοήθουν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς πρῶτοι Γόργος τε ὁ Ἀριστομένους καὶ Ἀριστομένης αὐτὸς Θέοκλός τε ὁ μάντις καὶ Μάντικλος ὁ Θεόκλου, σὺν δὲ αὐτοῖς Εὐεργετίδας ἀνὴρ καὶ ἄλλως ἐν Μεσσήνῃ τιμώμενος καὶ διὰ τὴν γυναῖκα ἐπὶ πλέον ἀξιώματος ἥκων· ἀδελφὴν γὰρ εἶχεν Ἀριστομένους Ἁγναγόραν.
And first to perceive that the enemies were inside, and first to run to help against them, were Gorgos the son of Aristomenes, and Aristomenes himself, and Theoklos the seer, and Mantiklos the son of Theoklos, and with them Euergetidas, a man both otherwise honored in Messene and having arrived at a higher status because of his wife; for he had as wife Hagnagora, the sister of Aristomenes.
τότε δὲ οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι, συνιέντες ὡς ἐν δικτύοις εἰσὶν ἐσχημένοι, ὅμως καὶ ἐκ τῶν παρόντων εἶχόν τινα ἐλπίδα·
At that time, the others, though understanding that they were caught as if in nets, nevertheless even from the present circumstances held some hope.
§4.21.3Ἀριστομένης δὲ καὶ ὁ μάντις ἠπίσταντο μὲν οὐδεμίαν ἔτι ἀναβολὴν ὀλέθρου Μεσσηνίοις οὖσαν, ἅτε εἰδότες καὶ τὸν χρησμὸν ὃν ᾐνίξατο ἐς τὸν τράγον· ἡ Πυθία, ἐπέκρυπτον δὲ οὐδὲν ἧσσον, καὶ ἦν σφισιν ἐς τοὺς ἄλλους ἀπόρρητον.
But Aristomenes and the seer knew indeed that there was no longer any postponement of destruction for the Messenians, inasmuch as they knew also the oracle which the Pythia had riddlingly spoken concerning the goat; nevertheless they kept it secret, and it was a secret of theirs towards the others.
ἐπιόντες δὲ τὴν πόλιν σπουδῇ καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας ἐρχόμενοι τοῖς τε ἐντυγχάνουσιν, ὁπότε αἰσθάνοιντο ὄντας Μεσσηνίους, παρεκελεύοντο ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς εἶναι καὶ ἐκ τῶν οἰκιῶν ἀνεκάλουν τοὺς ἔτι ὑπολειπομένους.
And going through the city with haste, and coming upon everyone, they exhorted those they met, whenever they perceived them to be Messenians, to be brave men, and they called out from the houses those who were still remaining inside.
§4.21.4ἐν μὲν δὴ νυκτὶ οὐδὲν ἄξιον ἐπράχθη λόγου παρʼ οὐδετέρων·
During the night, indeed, nothing worthy of mention was achieved by either side.
τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἡ ἀπειρία τῶν τόπων καὶ ἡ τόλμα τοῦ Ἀριστομένους παρεῖχε μελλησμόν, τοῖς δὲ Μεσσηνίοις οὔτε παρὰ τῶν στρατηγῶν σύνθημα ἐγεγόνει φθάνοντας εἰληφέναι τάς τε δᾷδας, ἢ εἴ τινα λαμπτῆρα ἀλλοῖον ἅψαιτό τις, ὕων ἂν ἐσβέννυεν ὁ θεός.
For to the ones, the unfamiliarity of the places and the daring of Aristomenes caused delay, while to the Messenians, no watchword had been given by the generals to take their positions beforehand, and as for the torches, or if anyone lit any other kind of lantern, the god, raining, would extinguish it.
§4.21.5ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἡμέρα τε ἦν καὶ ἀλλήλους καθορᾶν ἐδύναντο, ἐνταῦθα Ἀριστομένης καὶ Θέοκλος ἐπειρῶντο ἐς πᾶσαν ἀπόνοιαν προάγειν τοὺς Μεσσηνίους, ἄλλα τε ὁπόσα εἰκὸς ἦν διδάσκοντες καὶ Σμυρναίων τὰ τολμήματα ἀναμιμνήσκοντες, ὡς Ἰώνων μοῖρα ὄντες Γύγην τὸν Δασκύλου καὶ Λυδοὺς ἔχοντας σφῶν τὴν πόλιν ὑπὸ ἀρετῆς καὶ προθυμίας ἐκβάλοιεν.
But when it was day and they were able to see one another, then Aristomenes and Theoklos tried to lead the Messenians to utter desperation, teaching them other things as was natural, and reminding them of the daring deeds of the Smyrnaeans, how, being a part of the Ionians, they had cast out Gyges the son of Daskylos and the Lydians who held their city, by means of courage and eagerness.
§4.21.6οἱ Μεσσήνιοι δὲ ἀκούοντες ἀπονοίας τε ἐνεπίμπλαντο καὶ συνιστάμενοι καθʼ ὁπόσους ἕκαστοι τύχοιεν ἐφέροντο ἐς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους· ὥρμησαν δὲ καὶ γυναῖκες τῷ κεράμῳ καὶ ὅτῳ δύναιτο ἑκάστη τοὺς πολεμίους βάλλειν.
The Messenians, hearing this, were filled with desperation, and banding themselves together in whatever numbers they happened to be, they rushed against the Lacedaemonians; and even the women hastened to throw tiles and whatever each was able at the enemies.
τοῦτο μὲν δὴ μὴ δρᾶσαι σφᾶς μηδὲ ἐπιβῆναι τῶν τεγῶν τοῦ ὄμβρου τὸ βίαιον ἐπεκώλυε· λαβεῖν δὲ ὅπλα ἐτόλμησαν καὶ τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐπὶ πλέον αὗται τὴν τόλμαν ἐξῆψαν, ὁπότε καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἑώρων προτιμώσας συναπολέσθαι τῇ πατρίδι ἢ ἀχθῆναι δούλας ἐς Λακεδαίμονα, ὥστε κἂν παρελθεῖν ἐδυνήθησαν τὸ πεπρωμένον·
The violence of the rain, indeed, prevented them from doing this and from going up onto the roofs; but they dared to take up arms, and they themselves kindled the daring of the men even more, when they saw that even the women preferred to perish together with the fatherland rather than to be led away as slaves to Lacedaemon, so that they might even have been able to bypass what was fated.