愛爾蘭的傳統(tǒng)文化中喜歡綠色，在節(jié)日慶典時(shí),，很多人都會身著綠色的上衣或帽子,；另外，很多愛爾蘭人都以能喝酒,、酒量大為榮,。

和中文不同，英語文化中沒有用“綠帽子”象征 Adultery 的比喻,。但有一首著名的傳統(tǒng)愛爾蘭民歌 Seven Drunken Nights,，講述的是一個(gè)關(guān)于“綠帽子”的故事,，同時(shí)也諷刺了酗酒的醉鬼,。

Seven Drunken Nights 這個(gè)標(biāo)題的含義是：七個(gè)喝醉了酒的夜晚,；歌詞采用敘事體裁，和很多愛爾蘭傳統(tǒng)歌曲一樣,，是一個(gè)長篇笑話,。

這首歌講的是：有一位先生，一周七天每天都要在酒館中喝得大醉,，很晚才回到家中,。

每次回到家中時(shí)，都遇到妻子和別的男人在一起,；雖然每天都發(fā)現(xiàn)了證據(jù),，而且這些證據(jù)越來越明顯，但由于這位先生醉得神智不清,，總是被妻子幾句話輕易地搪塞過去,。

星期一晚上，這位先生看到院子中拴著一匹馬,，問妻子是怎么回事,；妻子回答說，你別犯傻了,，你看到的不是馬,，是媽媽送給我的母豬；這位先生很納悶,，自己見過這么多母豬,，今天頭一次碰到背上有鞍子的。

星期二,，發(fā)現(xiàn)了屋中門后掛著一件大衣,，被妻子解釋為、是媽媽送來的毯子,，這位先生再次感到納悶：毯子上怎么會縫著好多扣子呢,？

之后幾天，陸續(xù)發(fā)現(xiàn)了椅子上的煙斗,，床下的鞋子,，甚至看到床上自己枕頭上面有人，但仍然被妻子逐一搪塞過去,，說這是媽媽送來的小男孩,；這位先生仍然醉得無法爭辯追問、只是繼續(xù)納悶：小男孩的嘴上怎么會長著胡子呢,？

Seven Drunken Nights 這首歌曲,，據(jù)說最初是從一首蘇格蘭民歌改編而來的,。雖然在愛爾蘭文化中廣為傳唱，但曾一度被認(rèn)為是傷風(fēng)敗俗,、內(nèi)容不健康的Bawdy song.

直到1967年,，“The Dubliners 都柏林人樂隊(duì)”演唱的版本，在愛爾蘭和英國都登上了排行榜,，Seven Drunken Nights 才開始在舞臺上公開演唱,，但大多只會唱到 Friday 這天。

今天,，很多主打愛爾蘭文化的酒吧中,，都能聽到 Seven Drunken Nights 這首歌，被顧客和駐唱樂隊(duì)視為保留曲目,。

院子中拴著一匹馬

As I went home on Monday night as drunk as drunk could be

I saw a horse outside the door where my old horse should be

Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me

Who owns that horse outside the door where my old horse should be?

Ah, you're drunk, you're drunk, you silly old fool, still you can not see:

That's a lovely sow that me mother sent to me;

Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more

But a saddle on a sow sure I never saw before

屋中門后掛著一件大衣

And as I went home on Tuesday night as drunk as drunk could be

I saw a coat behind the door where my old coat should be

Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me

Who owns that coat behind the door where my old coat should be

Ah, you're drunk, you're drunk, you silly old fool, still you can not see:

That's a woollen blanket that me mother sent to me;

Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more

But buttons in a blanket sure I never saw before

椅子上的煙斗

And as I went home on Wednesday night as drunk as drunk could be

I saw a pipe up on the chair where my old pipe should be

Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me

Who owns that pipe up on the chair where my old pipe should be

Ah, you're drunk, you're drunk, you silly old fool, still you can not see:

That's a lovely tin whistle that me mother sent to me;

Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more

But tobacco in a tin whistle sure I never saw before

床下的鞋子

And as I went home on Thursday night as drunk as drunk could be

I saw two boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be

Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me

Who owns them boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be

Ah, you're drunk, you're drunk, you silly old fool, still you can not see:

They're two lovely Geranium pots me mother sent to me;

Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more

But laces in Geranium pots I never saw before

枕頭上面有人

And as I went home on Friday night as drunk as drunk could be

I saw a head upon the bed where my old head should be

Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me

Who owns that head upon the bed where my old head should be

Ah, you're drunk, you're drunk, you silly old fool, still you can not see:

That's a baby boy that me mother sent to me;

Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more

But a baby boy with his whiskers on sure I never saw before

和很多民歌一樣,，Seven Drunken Nights 的歌詞，包含不少在Formal grammar中會被認(rèn)為不正確的用法,，例如,，在me mother, me wife中、用賓格me 代替所有格my,，在tell后面加上了多余的介詞,、說成tell to me.

但 Seven Drunken Nights 這個(gè)歌曲標(biāo)題，卻嚴(yán)格地遵守了Drunken和Drunk 這兩個(gè)形容詞的語法差異,。

在表示“醉酒”時(shí),，Drunk 和Drunken在含義上沒有什么區(qū)別，但兩者在語法功能上卻有著明顯的差異,，揭示了英語形容詞的一個(gè)系統(tǒng)性原理,。

嚴(yán)格來說，Drunk 在句子中主要用作表語,，也就是用在 Be 動詞后面,，例如，(As) drunk as a lord; 還有：She was too drunk to remember anything about the party.

與之不同的是,，Drunken 只能用作定語,，在名詞前面作為修飾。例如：A drunken driver; Drunken singing 等等,。

英語中的形容詞,，大多數(shù)都是既可以用做表語、也可用做定語,；但有一些形容詞,，則僅限于擔(dān)任其中的一種功能，例如 Alive 和 Aware 就只能作表語,，不能做定語,。

這種表語和定語的區(qū)分,，是形容詞的一種系統(tǒng)性原理，在很多“Learner’s Dictionary學(xué)習(xí)詞典”中都會標(biāo)注出來,；我使用的牛津高階詞典中,，就是把通常作表語的 Drunk標(biāo)注為 [ not usually before noun ]，把僅限于做定語的 Drunken 標(biāo)注為 [ only before noun ],。

這些標(biāo)注是非常重要的語法信息,、對使用英語有很大的實(shí)質(zhì)幫助,，在查字典時(shí)值得特別留意,。