The Text of Robert Burns's 'What Ails Ye Now': An Early Holograph Manuscript from the Roy Collection
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Discusses different 19th century claims about whether Burns wrote the poem "What ails ye now" (Kinsley 119B, also known as "Robert Burns's Answer," "A Letter to a Taylor," "Reply to a Trimming Epistle from a Tailor," and "Answer to a Trimming Epistle"), which was not published in Burn's lifetime, and for which no manuscript in Burns's hand is known; describes and illustrates, a contemporary or near-contemporary manuscript in another hand that has numerous variants from the early printed text; and examines the possible relationship between the two texts and their implications for the authorship debate.
Publication Info
1 Burns Chronicle for 2018, Volume 127, 2017, pages 24-33.