lachrimae rerum

I ran across this Latin phrase several weeks ago, and it has popped up in my reading again. Does it mean something like “the tearfulness of things”?

It’s from the Aeneid. The whole phrase is “Sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt”. A somewhat literal translation is “There are tears in things and mortality touches the mind.”

Thanks, rowrrbazzle! Much appreciated.