Modifies a noun

• cry: A piteous human cry, a sob forlorn Thrilled to the heart of Heaven.

• wail: One night I saw a crowd on a street and heard piteous wails.

• spectacle: I rushed forward, fell down, clapped my hand to my face, and became a piteous spectacle.

• tale: We hear of a piteous tale of a laborer who was induced to go north.