登天梯

denrungs.itisdroppedoverthesideofashiptoenablepeopletoascendfromordescendtosmallboatsalongside.harborpilotsusuallycomeaboardviaajacobsladder.

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

jacobsladderhasbeenusedinatleasttwootherquiteearthlymeanings.asmallplantwithaflower-and-leafformationresemblingaladderbearsthisname.inengland,alsowhatweamericanscall“runs”inhosierywereformerlycalledjacobsladders.nowadaystheyaresimplyladders.

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