If it were not for this corner of my robe, these tears would have drowned the homes of mankind.

In this couplet, the poet uses classic poetic exaggeration to show the sheer scale of his heartbreak. He suggests that the flood of his weeping is so immense it could have drowned the homes of all mankind. The only thing sparing the world from this deluge is the humble corner of his robe, which quietly absorbs an ocean of unshed and wiped-away grief.