Does anyone know what this verse means: "shall summon to unwelcome bed"?
Here is the full stanza of the poem. It is from through the looking glass?
Come, hearken then, ere voice of dread,
With bitter tidings laden,
Shall summon to unwelcome bed
A melancholy maiden!
We are but older children, dear,
Who fret to find our bedtime near.
This is the prologue to a fairy tale, told as a bedtime story.
You have to put it in context with the the other stanzas, he is inviting Alice to listen to his bed time story, whether or not she wants to go to bed.
It means.
ok, girl, I hear your voice of dread
with hateful remarks attached
come on to bed, whether you want to or not.
We all are children who wish we could play longer.
Put this into context with the other stanzas.
This stanaza is an “allusion �