vismayāviṣṭahṛdayaḥ purīmālokya sarvataḥ| jāmbūnadamayairdvārairvaiḍūryakṛtavedikaiḥ vajrasphaṭikamuktābhirmaṇikuṭṭimabhūṣitaiḥ| taptahāṭakaniryūhai rājatāmalapāṇḍuraiḥ vaiḍhūryakṛtasopānaiḥ sphāṭikāntarapāṃsubhiḥ| cārusaṃjavanopetaiḥ khamivotpatitaiḥ śubhaiḥ krauñcabarhiṇasaṅghuṣṭaiḥ rājahaṃsa niṣevitaiḥ| tūryābharaṇanirghoṣaiḥ sarvataḥ pratināditām vasvaukasārāpratimāṃ tāṃ vīkṣya nagarīṃ tataḥ| khamivotpatituṃ kāmāṃ jaharṣa hanumān kapiḥ
Surveying all over, Hanuman was wonderstruck to see as though it was leaping into the sky. The city had golden shutters, altars encrusted with vaidurya, mansions inlaid with diamonds, crystals, pearls and other gems, crowned with pure gold and silver. The staircases built with silver were studded with vaidurya. The beautiful quadrangles, coverd with grains of crystal were as though leaping into the air. It echoed with sounds of krauncha birds, peacocks and royal swans. Filled with sounds of musical instruments, it resembled the city of Vaswokasara.
— M.N. Dutt (1891)
Lanka's golden shutters gleam in the moonlight, making the city appear to leap into the sky. The image suggests both aspiration and pride. Lanka is magnificent because Ravana is mighty — but its beauty is the beauty of a fallen paradise.