Is this old commonly used funeral poem copyrighted?  Could I use it on
a video that is a for profit venture?


Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep 
by Mary Elizabeth Frye 

Do not stand at my grave and weep 
I am not there. I do not sleep. 
I am a thousand winds that blow. 
I am the diamond glints on snow. 
I am the sunlight on ripened grain. 
I am the gentle autumn rain. 
When you awaken in the morning's hush 
I am the swift uplifting rush 
Of quiet birds in circled flight. 
I am the soft stars that shine at night. 
Do not stand at my grave and cry; 
I am not there. I did not die.

Hi digidreams,

There are actually two versions of this poem. If, as you ask in your
question, you want to use the original version by Mary E. Frye, it is
public domain and you are free to use it.

However, be careful not to include the version by Wilbur Skeels, as it
is copyrighted.

"Please note: Mary Frye's lyrics are 'public domain' but those by
Wilbur Skeels are copyright. Use of copyrighted material without prior
permission of the copyright owner is both unethical and illegal. Good
intentions are irrelevant. It is, bluntly, stealing. It exposes the
offender to both criminal and civil liability."

Cantus Quercus Press
http://www.cantusquercus.com/9611text.htm

You can find both versions at the above site and can therefore note
the differences in the two.



"This verse appears to have been written by Mary Frye and first
published in 1932. It was recast as a song by someone named Wilbur
Skeels in 1966. The owners of the copyright of the recast version are
jealous defenders of their intellectual property rights (I don?t want
today to go into the issues of how someone comes to own the rights to
something largely written by someone else. Let?s hold that for another
conversation.)"
(...)
"...I?ve been very careful to use the original public domain version..."

First Unitarian Society in Newton
http://www.fusn.org/pages/sermons03-04/sermon74.html



The following is taken from a taping of a CBC program with Mary Frye:

"On the tape, Mary sounds genuinely at a loss to understand how her
poem could have taken on such universal meaning. It also becomes clear
that the poem is not in copyright - and being in the public domain,
she has not received any remuneration for her work. This is what she
has to say on this subject:"I thought it belonged to the world - it
didn't belong to me. I stil feel that way?it was written out of love,
for comfort - if I took money for it, it would lose it's value...
maybe I'm a nut"..."

Source: To All My Loved Ones
http://www.toallmylovedones.com/article.pdf

Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat to read the above pdf file.



Search criteria:
"Do not stand at my grave and weep" copyrighted
"Do not stand at my grave and weep" copyrighted "public domain"


I hope the information provided is helpful. If you have any questions
regarding my answer please don?t hesitate to ask before rating it.

Best regards,
Rainbow

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