First edition of Yeats poem auctioned in Dublin, Ireland
Posted: Sunday, October 26, 2008  DUBLIN, Ireland - A terrible
beauty has been sold.  A rare first edition of one of William
Butler Yeats' most political poems, "Easter 1916," was sold
Wednesday at Adam's auctioneers in central Dublin to an
anonymous bidder for $9,600 - roughly double the forecast price.
Auction house director David Britton said the original copy of
the poem - one of just three known to exist worldwide - received
exceptional interest from bidders because it appealed to
enthusiasts both of Yeats and of Ireland's independence struggle
from Britain.  Yeats wrote the poem in the months following the
Easter rebellion of 1916, when guerrillas seized key Dublin
government buildings for a week before surrendering to British
forces.  The poet distributed only 25 copies of the work at
first, for fear that wider publication might stir violence. Just
three copies are known to remain today; the other two are in the
National Library in Dublin and t