and from every direction a war rose up around them

而他们周围已是狼烟四起
which was swift and defied precaution.

以燎原之势践踏着斯巴达人的努力成果
In military affairs they now became more timid

在军事上斯巴达人比以前更加
than ever before since they were involved in a naval contest

谨小慎微因为他们还卷入了海战
outside their normal conceptions of preparation for war,

这超出了他们正常情况下关于战备的概念
and in this unaccustomed area they fought against the Athenians

要在自己不熟悉的领域与希腊人作战
to whom the omission of an enterprise was

而对后者来说工作中的疏忽
always a loss in respect to what they had expected to achieve."

相对于他们预期的成果来说就是一种损失
in other words, whatever victories the Athenians won,

换句话说雅典人无论打赢多少场
however great, they were always disappointed,

赢得多么漂亮也不会满足
because they had expected more than that.

因为他们的期望值过高
At the same time the misfortunes that

这么多不幸的事件