Inglis Collection of printed music > Printed music > Songs of Scotland adapted to their appropriate melodies > Volume 1

WHA IS SHE THAT LO'ES ME.
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13
If thou shalt meet a lassie
In grace and beauty charming,
That e'en thy chosen lassie,
Erewhile thy breast aae warming,
Had ne'er sic powers alarming.
that's the lassie o' my heart, &c.
If thou hadst heard her talking,
An' thy attentions plighted,
That ilka body talking
But her by thee is slighted,
An' thou art all delighted.
that's the lassie o' my heart, &o.
If thou hast met this fair one ;
When frae her thou hast parted,
If every other fair one,
But her, thou hast deserted,
An' thou art broken-hearted ;
that's the lassie o' my heart, &c.
" wha is she that lo'es me." This song was written by Burns for the Gaelic air called " Morag," which ia
the Highland name for Marion. Burns was so fond of the air, that, in 1787, he wrote two other songs for it.
One beginning " Loud blaw the frosty breezes," and the other, " Streams that glide in orient plains." The latter
is less of a song than of stanzas in praise of Castle-Gordon, and in vituperation of Oriental despotism. "In
Fraser's Gaelic airs, lately published, is another set of ' Morag,' in which the sharp seventh is twice introduced,
in place of the perfect fifth, along with a variety of notes, graces, and a ritardando, not to be found in any of the
older set3 of this air, and which indeed are equally superfluous, as well as foreign to the genuine spirit of ancient
Gaelic melodies." See Museum Illustrations, vol. ii. pp. 134-136. We may remark that in Fraser's set of
" Morag," No. 119, p. 57, the members of the air do not occur in the same order as in Johnson's set. They are
transposed. Also, that the sharp seventh occurs twice in the notes of embellishment, as well as twice in the prin-
cipal notes of the air. Allan Cunningham, in his edition of Burns' works, makes the following remarks upon the
song " wha is she that lo'es me," and its air " Morag :" " Of the air of ' Morag' Burns was passionately fond ;
yet it cannot be said that he was more than commonly successful in wedding it to words. The measure which
the tune requires is cramp and difficult, and the sentiment is interrupted before it has well begun to flow. This
song was found among the papers of Burns ; the exact period of its composition is not known, nor has the heroine
been named."