expressed in practical words born of much grief
on repentance
on counsel for the benefit of the soul,
on self-discipline,
on the rules of contrite living,
on dedication and commitment,
on exposing the unseen,
on confession of sins,
on disclosure of secrets,
on laying open of the covered up,
on reproach for the hidden.

powerful salves for incurable wounds,
effective medicines for invisible pains,
multi-symptom remedies for the pangs of turmoil,
for the passions of all temperaments,
occasions for tears, impulses to prayer,
prepared in response to the requests of
the hermit fathers and the multitude in the desert,
called the book of lamentations written
by the monk Gregory of Narek Monastery.