Jeremiah’s alphabetic laments in four cycles
Jeremiah, the people having been taken captive and being in Babylon, laments the city and the country and the people for what has befallen them; and he laments marking off certain sections and divisions that begin next from the letters among the Hebrews. And after finishing the lament upon each letter and, upon all, the one that begins from Thau—which is the last letter of the Hebrews—he returns to Aleph and again laments; and he does this four times, going through the twenty-two letters.
Greek
Klagel. Jerem. 1 Überschr. Ὁ Ἱερεμίας αἰχμαλωτισθέντος τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ὄντος ἐν Βάβυλῶνι. θρηνεῖ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὴν χώραν καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς συμβεβηκόσι, καὶ θρηνεῖ περικοπάς τινας καὶ διαστολὰς πριγράφων ἀρχομένας ἐξῆς ἀπὸ τῶν παρ’ Ἑραίοις στοιχείων. καὶ μετὰ τὸ τελέσαι λέσαι τὸν ἐφ’ ἐκάστου στοιχείου Θρῆνον καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ Θαῦ ἀρχόμενον, ἔπερ ἐστὶ τελευταῖον τῶν Ἐβραίων γαράμμα, ἐπανέρχεται χεται ἐπὶ τὸ Ἄλφ καὶ πάλιν θρηνεῖ, καὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖ τετράκις τὰ εἴκοσι καὶ δύο στοιχεῖα ἐπεξιών.
About this text
Origen, Fragments on Lamentations. Original English Translation from the Greek (Klostermann).
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.