In the wake of the destruction of the Temple, the most exceptional children of Jerusalem were led into exile. The Sages relate the following tragic story of a brother and sister who were taken into captivity.

There was an incident involving the son and the daughter of Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha the High Priest, who were taken captive and sold to two masters. After some time, the two masters met in a certain place. This one said: I have a male slave whose beauty is unmatched in the entire world, and that one said: I have a maidservant whose beauty is unmatched in the entire world.

They said to each other: Come, let us marry them to one another and divide their offspring between us. They secluded them in a room to engage in intercourse. This slave sat in this corner, and that maidservant sat in that corner. He said: I am a priest, a descendant of High Priests; shall I marry a maidservant? And she said: I am the daughter of a priest, a descendant of High Priests; shall I marry a slave? They wept all night.

At dawn they recognized each other. They fell on each other and burst into bitter tears until their souls departed. With regard to them, Jeremiah lamented: “For these I weep; my eye, my eye sheds water” (Lamentations 1:16). (Gittin 57b)