As the Babylonian forces carry off the cult statue, they are followed by the slave girls who probably served in the temple, and they beat their breasts and lament the fall of their goddess. Their lamenting is compared to the sound of doves which may seem strange to modern readers, but separate language groups perceive and express animal sounds differently.1 In this case the sound of doves is used to describe distress and sadness.
8 C'en est fait: elle est mise à nu, elle est emmenée; Ses servantes gémissent comme des colombes, Et se frappent la poitrine.