epigram

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Short, witty, and pithy saying or short poem. The poem form was common among writers of ancient Rome, including Catullus and Martial. The epigram has been used by English poets Ben Jonson, John Donne, and Alexander Pope, Irish writers Jonathan Swift and W B Yeats, and US writer Ogden Nash. An epigram was originally a religious inscription, such as that on a tomb.

Irish writer Oscar Wilde and US writer Dorothy Parker produced epigrams in conversation as well as in writing. Epigrams are often satirical, as in Wilde's observation: ‘Speech was given us to conceal our thoughts.’ While Greek epigrams were sometimes satirical, in Roman literature satire became the rule.

The epigram is often based on antithesis, as in Pope's line ‘For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.’

White represents the snow on Monte Titano and the clouds above. Blue stands for the sky. Effective date: 6 April 1862. >>