My eyes flow with rivers of tears is similar to part of the first unit of 1.16. See there for comments. In translation it may be helpful to shift to the use of a simile in this verse and say, for example, “I cry and tears flow from my eyes as a river flows with water.”

The reason for the poet’s weeping is the destruction of the daughter of my people; this expression occurs also in 2.11. In some languages it will be necessary to place the cause for the weeping at the beginning; for example, “My people have been killed, and this makes tears flow like a river from my eyes.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on Lamentations. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .