I wish there were an "ask the lawyer" section, but I'll try this here.
I am about to publish (well, re-publish with a different publisher) a novel that contains a versification of "Be Thou My Vision." These are not the original lyrics to the hymn. In the story, the character has made up his own hymn based on the Gaelic chant, as he lives before it was ever versified. Consequently, the version I use is the result of my own versification which I based upon the 1905 English prose translation my Mary Byrne. Thus, the lyrics are similar to those of the traditional hymn, but they are not the same as those found in the hymn. I am wondering if this may pose a problem / copyright infringement concern. I guess this would qualify as a translation of a translation. I do explain in the notes to the book how I arrived at they lyrics to the altered hymn.
I am about to publish (well, re-publish with a different publisher) a novel that contains a versification of "Be Thou My Vision." These are not the original lyrics to the hymn. In the story, the character has made up his own hymn based on the Gaelic chant, as he lives before it was ever versified. Consequently, the version I use is the result of my own versification which I based upon the 1905 English prose translation my Mary Byrne. Thus, the lyrics are similar to those of the traditional hymn, but they are not the same as those found in the hymn. I am wondering if this may pose a problem / copyright infringement concern. I guess this would qualify as a translation of a translation. I do explain in the notes to the book how I arrived at they lyrics to the altered hymn.