And lo! the universal air seemed lit with ghastly flame; ten thousand thousand dreadful eyes were looking down in blame

And lo! the universal air seemed lit with ghastly flame; ten thousand thousand dreadful eyes were looking down in blame

The lines "And lo! the universal air seemed lit with ghastly flame; ten thousand thousand dreadful eyes were looking down in blame" evoke a sense of fear, guilt, and judgment. These haunting words are from the poem "The Bridge of Sighs" by Thomas Hood, a renowned English poet and humorist of the 19th century. In this particular stanza, Hood describes a scene of immense despair and anguish, where the very air seems to be filled with a fiery glow, and countless eyes stare down accusingly at the protagonist.

The imagery of the universal air being lit with ghastly flame creates a vivid picture of a hellish landscape, where the atmosphere itself is charged with a sense of foreboding and condemnation. The use of the word "ghastly" further emphasizes the eerie and unsettling nature of the scene, suggesting that something truly sinister is at play. The idea of ten thousand thousand dreadful eyes looking down in blame adds to the sense of overwhelming judgment and scrutiny, as if the entire world is united in condemning the protagonist for their actions.