"vale of tears"

Vale of tears is a phrase based upon the Christian religion that refers to Earthly sorrows that are to be left behind when one enters heaven. "Vale" means a valley or a dale. The phrase comes from the prayer Salve Regina: "To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears." The expression hearkens to Psalm 23's reference to the valley of the shadow of death: the phrase implies that the wickedness of the world makes it dark and reprieve comes only from divine salvation.