Aleph
“How lonely
Sits the city
That once was
Full of people!
How like a widow,
She has become!
She that was great
Among the nations!
She that was
A princess
Among the provinces!
She has become
A vassal.”
This first verse starts with the Hebrew consonant letter Aleph. Each verse after this will use the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet in this acrostic poem. This author laments that this once inhabited city is now lonely like a widow. This city was great among the nations like a princess, but now it has become a vassal slave. Thus the tone for these lamentations has been set. Although not explicitly mentioned here, the obvious reference is to the lonely city Jerusalem.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 