Epigramisabrief,interesting,memorable,andsometimessurprisingorsatiricalstatement. ThewordisderivedfromtheGreekἐπίγραμμα

Anepigramisabrief,interesting,memorable,andsometimessurprisingorsatiricalstatement.ThewordisderivedfromtheGreekἐπίγραμμαepigramma"inscription"fromἐπιγράφεινepigraphein"towriteon,toinscribe",andtheliterarydevicehasbeenemployedforovertwomillennia.

TheGreektraditionofepigramsbeganaspoemsinscribedonvotiveofferingsatsanctuaries–includingstatuesofathletes–andonfunerarymonuments,forexample"GotellittotheSpartans,passersby...".Theseoriginalepigramsdidthesamejobasashortprosetextmighthavedone,butinverse.EpigrambecamealiterarygenreintheHellenisticperiod,probablydevelopingoutofscholarlycollectionsofinscriptionalepigrams.
Thoughmodernepigramsareusuallythoughtofasveryshort,Greekliteraryepigramwasnotalwaysasshortaslaterexamples,andthedividebetween"epigram"and"elegy"issometimesindistinct(theyshareacharacteristicmetre,elegiaccouplets).Intheclassicalperiod,thecleardistinctionbetweenthemwasthatepigramswereinscribedandmeanttoberead,whileelegieswererecitedandmeanttobeheard.Someelegiescouldbequiteshort,butonlypublicepigramswerelongerthantenlines.Allthesame,theoriginofepigramininscriptionexertedaresidualpressuretokeepthingsconcise,evenwhentheywererecitedinHellenistictimes.Manyofthecharacteristictypesofliteraryepigramlookbacktoinscriptionalcontexts,particularlyfuneraryepigram,whichintheHellenisticerabecomesaliteraryexercise.Many"sympotic"epigramscombinesympoticandfuneraryelements–theytelltheirreaders(orlisteners)todrinkandlivefortodaybecauselifeisshort.Generally,anythemefoundinclassicalelegiescouldbeandwereadaptedforlaterliteraryepigrams.
Hellenisticepigramsarealsothoughtofashavinga"point"–thatis,thepoemendsinapunchlineorsatiricaltwist.BynomeansdoallGreekepigramsbehavethisway;manyaresimplydescriptive,butMeleagerofGadaraandPhilippusofThessalonica,thefirstcomprehensiveanthologists,preferredtheshortandwittyepigram.SincetheircollectionshelpedformknowledgeofthegenreinRomeandthenlaterthroughoutEurope,Epigramcametobeassociatedwith'point',especiallybecausetheEuropeanepigramtraditiontakestheLatinpoetMartialasitsprincipalmodel;hecopiedandadaptedGreekmodels(particularlythecontemporarypoetsLucilliusandNicarchus)selectivelyandintheprocessredefinedthegenre,aligningitwiththeindigenousRomantraditionof"satura",hexametersatire,aspractisedby(amongothers)hiscontemporaryJuvenal.Greekepigramwasactuallymuchmorediverse,astheMilanPapyrusnowindicates.AmajorsourceforGreekliteraryepigramistheGreekAnthology,acompilationfromthe10thcenturyADbasedonoldercollections,includingthoseofMeleagerandPhilippus.ItcontainsepigramsrangingfromtheHellenisticperiodthroughtheImperialperiodandLateAntiquityintothecompiler'sownByzantineera–athousandyearsofshortelegiactextsoneverytopicunderthesun.TheAnthologyincludesonebookofChristianepigramsaswellasonebookoferoticandamoroushomosexualepigramscalledtheΜοῦσαΠαιδικἠ(MousaPaidike,"TheBoyishMuse").
RomanepigramsowemuchtotheirGreekpredecessorsandcontemporaries.Romanepigrams,however,wereoftenmoresatiricalthanGreekones,andattimesusedobscenelanguageforeffect.Latinepigramscouldbecomposedasinscriptionsorgraffiti,suchasthisonefromPompeii,whichexistsinseveralversionsandseemsfromitsinexactmetertohavebeencomposedbyalesseducatedperson.Itscontentmakesitclearhowpopularsuchpoemswere:Admiror,Oparies,tenoncecidisseruinisquitotscriptorumtaediasustineas.I'mastonished,wall,thatyouhaven'tcollapsedintoruins,sinceyou'reholdingupthewearyverseofsomanypoets.
However,intheliteraryworld,epigramsweremostoftengiftstopatronsorentertainingversetobepublished,notinscriptions.ManyRomanwritersseemtohavecomposedepigrams,includingDomitiusMarsus,whosecollectionCicuta(nowlost)wasnamedafterthepoisonousplantCicutaforitsbitingwit,andLucan,morefamousforhisepicPharsalia.AuthorswhoseepigramssurviveincludeCatullus,whowrotebothinvectivesandloveepigrams–hispoem85isoneofthelatter.Odietamo.Quareidfaciamfortasserequiris.Nescio,sedfierisentio,etexcrucior.IhateandIlove.Maybeyou'dliketoknowwhyIdo?Idon'tknow,butIfeelithappening,andIamtormented.Martial,however,isconsideredtobethemasteroftheLatinepigram.Histechniquereliesheavilyonthesatiricalpoemwithajokeinthelastline,thusdrawinghimclosertothemodernideaofepigramasagenre.Herehedefineshisgenreagainsta(probablyfictional)critic(inthelatterhalfof2.77):
Discequodignoras:MarsidoctiquePedonissaepeduplexunumpaginatractatopus.Nonsuntlongaquibusnihilestquoddemerepossis,sedtu,Cosconi,distichalongafacis.Learnwhatyoudon'tknow:oneworkof(Domitius)MarsusorlearnedPedooftenstretchesoutoveradoublesidedpage.Aworkisn'tlongifyoucan'ttakeanythingoutofit,butyou,Cosconius,writeevenacouplettoolong.InearlyEnglishliteraturetheshortcoupletpoemwasdominatedbythepoeticepigramandproverb,especiallyinthetranslationsoftheBibleandtheGreekandRomanpoets.

Since1600,twosuccessivelinesofversethatrhymewitheachother,knownasacoupletfeaturedasapartofthelongersonnetform,mostnotablyinWilliamShakespeare'ssonnets.Sonnet76isanexcellentexample.ThetwolinepoeticformasaclosedcoupletwasalsousedbyWilliamBlakeinhispoemAuguriesofInnocence,andalsobyByroninhispoemDonJuan,byJohnGayinhisfablesandbyAlexanderPopeinhisAnEssayonMan.ThefirstworkofEnglishliteraturepennedinNorthAmericawasRobertHayman'sQuodlibets,LatelyComeOverfromNewBritaniola,OldNewfoundland,whichisacollectionofover300epigrams,manyofwhichdonotconformtothetwo-lineruleortrend.Whilethecollectionwaswrittenbetween1618and1628inwhatisnowHarbourGrace,Newfoundland,itwaspublishedshortlyafterhisreturntoBritain.[5]

InVictoriantimestheepigramcoupletwasoftenusedbytheprolificAmericanpoetEmilyDickinson.HerpoemNo.1534isatypicalexampleofherelevenpoeticepigrams.ThenovelistGeorgeEliotalsoincludedcoupletsthroughoutherwritings.HerbestexampleisinhersequencedsonnetpoementitledBrotherandSister[6]inwhicheachoftheelevensequencedsonnetendswithacouplet.Inhersonnets,theprecedinglead-in-line,tothecoupletendingofeach,couldbethoughtofasatitleforthecouplet,asisshowninSonnetVIIIofthesequence.Duringtheearly20thcentury,therhymedepigramcoupletformdevelopedintoafixedverseimageform,withanintegraltitleasthethirdline.AdelaideCrapseycodifiedthecoupletformintoatwolinerhymedverseoftensyllablesperlinewithherimagecoupletpoemOnSeeingWeather-BeatenTreesfirstpublishedin1915.Bythe1930s,thefive-linecinquainverseformbecamewidelyknowninthepoetryoftheScottishpoetWilliamSoutar.ThesewereoriginallylabelledepigramsbutlateridentifiedasimagecinquainsinthestyleofAdelaideCrapsey.
Epigram,originallyaninscriptionsuitableforcarvingonamonument,butsincethetimeoftheGreekAnthology(q.v.)appliedtoanybriefandpithyverse,particularlyifastringentandpurportingtopointamoral.Byextensionthetermisalsoappliedtoanystrikingsentenceinanovel,play,poem,orconversationthatappearstoexpressasuccincttruth,usuallyintheformofageneralization.CatullusoriginatedtheLatinepigram,anditwasgivenfinalformbyMartialinsome1,500pungentandoftenindecentversesthatservedasmodelsforFrenchandEnglishepigrammatistsofthe17thand18thcenturies.
TheepigramwasrevivedbyRenaissancescholarsandpoets,suchastheFrenchpoetClémentMarot,whowroteepigramsinbothLatinandthevernacular.InEnglandtheformtookshapesomewhatlater,notablyinthehandsofBenJonsonandhisfollowers,amongwhomwasRobertHerrick,writerofsuchgracefulexamplesasthefollowing:
IsawaFliewithinaBeade
OfAmbercleanlyburied:
TheUrnewaslittle,buttheroom
MorerichthanCleopatra’sTombe.
Asthecenturyprogressed,theepigrambecamemoreastringentandclosertoMartialinbothEnglandandFrance.TheMaximes(1665)ofFrançoisVI,DukedeLaRochefoucauldmarkedoneofthehighpointsoftheepigraminFrench,influencingsuchlaterpractitionersasVoltaire.InEngland,JohnDryden,AlexanderPope,andJonathanSwiftproducedsomeofthemostmemorableepigramsoftheirtime.SamuelTaylorColeridge(1772–1834),writingatthebeginningofthe19thcentury,producedanepigramthatneatlysumsuptheform: