‘Wail Zion and its cities,’ is the opening line and refrain for an acrostic elegy recited on the Ninth of Av, a day of mourning that commemorates the many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people, most importantly the destruction of the first and second Temples. Eli Ziyyon was written during the Middle Ages, but the exact date of composition and author are unknown. The elegy consists of twelve stanzas, each of which ends with the words Eli Ziyyon.
