When the swallow flies over the city in the story “The Happy Prince,” it sees a sharp contrast between wealth and suffering.

Direct answer

The swallow sees:

  • The rich making merry in their beautiful houses.
  • Beggars sitting at the gates of these houses.
  • Dark lanes with the white faces of starving children looking sadly into the streets.
  • Under a bridge, two little boys lying in each other’s arms trying to keep warm, who are then driven away by the watchman into the cold rain.

Quick Scoop

What does this scene show?

  • A bird’s‑eye view of inequality: joy and comfort inside rich homes, misery and hunger outside.
  • The real condition of the city’s poor that the prince could not see when he was alive in his palace.

Why is this important in the story?

  • It makes the swallow and the Happy Prince feel deep compassion for the poor.
  • It becomes the reason they decide to help people by giving away the prince’s gold and jewels.

Forum-style note

In many exam and forum discussions, the accepted answer is:
The swallow sees the rich enjoying themselves in their beautiful houses, beggars at their gates, starving children in dark lanes, and two little boys under a bridge trying to keep warm before being chased away in the rain.

SEO bits

  • Focus phrase naturally used: “what does the swallow see when it flies over the city” – it refers to the swallow witnessing the suffering of the poor alongside the luxury of the rich.

Bottom note
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.