who was wounded three times in the war,

他在战争中受过三次伤
hit in the head with a shell shot from a cannon,

头部曾被一片弹壳击中
should've died--crushed in part of his skull,

他本来应该死掉的因为部分头盖骨粉碎
which may explain Ambrose Bierce actually--

这也许能解释他为什么会这样
but it's Bierce who also wrote that lovely little line where he said,

但是他也写过一些愉快的诗句
"The soil of peace is thickly sown with the seeds of war."

和平的土壤中密密地播种着战争的种子
Get too much peace for awhile and people get anxious.

和平的时间太久人们就会变得焦躁
Americans, when this war broke out, embraced it with a fever,

在这场战争爆发之后美国人用狂热
that is, an enthusiasm, an almost indefinable joy,

或者说热情几乎莫名喜悦去迎接它
that may be a little tough to understand today or appreciate.

这在今天可能有点难理解或者领会
It's only in the wake of war,

只有在战争之后
or in the face of real war,

或者是面对真正的战争时