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Lines: 507-514. A constant vapour.....angels in machines.
Summary: These lines form part of the description of the Cave of Spleen. The cave is always overspread with vapour, and as these vapours go up, queer apparitions are formed. These are fearful, like the visions of a hermit in a hunted gloomy abode or bright like those of a maiden before her death. At one moment you see flaming devils and snakes erect on their coils; lustreless ghosts, opening sepulchers, and red fires; at another, you visualize lakes of liquid gold, scenes of paradise, transparent places, and angels coming to solve the difficulties in human life.
Critical Analysis: While speaking of the Cave of Spleen, Pope gives a vivid description of the fantastic vision to which men and women plagued with Spleen are exposed to. Pope's descriptive art comes to a consummation in these lines. Though the description is in a bantering spirit, it is highly symbolical and conveys an accurate picture of the people suffering from Spleen.