Hi,

I've found out that Allan's father John Cunningham (1743-1800) was a neighbor of Burns when Robert lived in Ellisland.

Apparently it is a Nithsdale song. From "Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway Song" by Robert Hartley Cromek, Allan Cunningham, William Gillespie, 1880 (reprinted from 1810):


O WHO IS THIS UNDER MY WINDOW?

This old song is taken down from the singing of Martha Crosbie, from whose recitation Burns wrote down the song of "The Waukrife Minnie."
It has a fine affecting tune, and is much sung by the young girls of Nithsdale. Burns has certainly imitated the last verse of it in his "Red, red Rose."

O Who is this under my window?
O who is this that troubles me?"
"O it is ane wha is broken-hearted,
Complaining to his God o' thee."

"O ask your heart, my bonnie Mary,
O ask your heart gif it minds o' me!"
"Ye were a drap o' the dearest bluid in't,
Sae lang as ye were true to me."

"If e'er the moon saw ye in my arms, love,
If e'er the light dawned in my ee,
I hae been doubly fause to heaven,
But ne'er ae moment fause to thee.

"My father ca'd me to his chamber,
Wi' lowin' anger in his ee;
Gae put that traitor frae thy bosom,
Or never mair set thy ee on me.

"I hae wooed lang love—I hae loved kin' love,
An' monie a peril I've braved for thee;
I've traitor been to monie a ane love,
But ne'er a traitor nor fause to thee.

"My mither sits hie in her chamber,
Wi' saute tears happin' frae her ee;
O he wha turns his back on heaven,
O he maun ay be fause to thee!"

"Gang up, sweet May, to thy ladie mother,
An' dight the saute tears frae her ee;
Tell her I've turned my face to heaven,
Ye hae been heaven owre lang to me!"

O up she rose, and away she goes,
Into her true love's arms to fa';
But ere the bolts and the bars she loosed,
Her true love was fled awa.

"O whare's he gane whom I lo'e best,
And has left me here for to sigh an' mane;
O I will search the hale world over,
'Till my true love I find again.

"The seas shall grow wi' harvests yellow,
The mountains melt down wi' the sun;
The labouring man shall forget his labour,
The blackbird shall not sing but mourn,
If ever I prove fause to my love,
Till once I see if he return."

Here's a link p. 219-221: https://archive.org/stream/remainsofnithsda00cromiala#page/220/mode/2up
This is obviously the same version of "Drowsy Sleeper". The question is why is it so different from the version published in 1834?

Richie