亲爱的小文：

你注意到警察局里消防车上的云梯（ladder）了吗？那种梯子升起来很高，可高出一百英尺。美国underworldslang把ladder叫做jacob，你知道是谁吗？

jacobwasthesonofisaac,andthefatherofthe12sonswhofoundedthetwelvetribesofisrael,boughthisolderbrotheresausbirthrightwithabowlofsavorystew（“messofpottage”）.later,us,sauwassoangrythatjacobfledforhislife.

onthewaytohisunclelaban,jacobsleptataplacecalledbethel,dream,uchencouraged,rehefellonlovewithlabansdaughter,rachel,rworking20yearsforlaban,jacobleftforhome.

ontheway,saumethimwithforgiveness,andtheypartedgoodfriends.jacobspenthislastyearsinegypt,wherehissonjosephbroughthimtolive.

esauwasthesonofisaacandrebecca,samaincharacterinmanystoriesfoundingenesis25-bestknownarejacobscheatinghimoutofhisbirthrightfora“messofpottage”（gen.25：27-34）,andthelossofhisblessingthroughtheplottingofhismotherandbrother（gen.27）.esauwasreconciledtojacobafterthelattersreturntopalestine20yearslater.

biblicalhistoryregardsesauasthefounderoftheedomitenation.

jacob就是现在以色列（israel）人的老老老老老老老老老老……老祖宗。

messofpottage就是“因小失大”、“得不偿失”、“划不来”的意思。

ajacobsladderisaladdermadeofropeorcable,rborpilotsusuallycomeaboardviaajacobsladder.

thejacobsladdergetsitsnamefromanincidentinthebookofgenesis（28：12）.thepatriarchjacobfallsasleepandtheavision：“andhedreamed,andbeholdaladdersetupontheearth,andhetopofitreachedtoheaven；andbeholdtheangelsofgodascendinganddescendingonit.”

smallplantwithaflower-and-d,alsowhatweamericanscall“runs”daystheyaresimplyladders.

jacobsladder可以登天，所以美国黑社会的thieveslatin（盗贼的隐语，切口）就把梯子叫jacob。

植物里头花葱属（polemoniums）中的一种就叫jacobsladder，因为它们有ladderlikeleaves。

爸爸

一九七五年十一月一日