The core of Pericles' plan, however,

然而伯里克利计策的精髓
was to avoid all land battles to show that

是避免正面一切陆战以显示
the Peloponnesians could do Athens no serious harm

伯罗奔尼撒人无法对雅典人带来多大损失
and to exhaust them psychologically,

并在精神上拖垮伯罗奔尼撒人
to make them see reason and understand that

让他们看清楚为什么
their efforts were futile and could not bring them victory.

他们的努力是白费力气不能带来胜利
His plan did not work.

他的计策落空了
The element of chance,

很不巧
the unexpected and incalculable intervened against

正所谓人算不如天算
Pericles and against Athens in the form of the terrible plague

伯里克利和雅典人遭遇了可怕的瘟疫
that ultimately killed a third of the Athenian population.

这场瘟疫最终夺去了三分之一雅典人的生命
Of course, all this encouraged the Peloponnesians

当然这也激励了伯罗奔尼撒人