Poetic, Literary and a Few Plain Ol' Fun Epigrams

What is an Epigram? A dwarfish whole;

Its body brevity, and wit its soul. 

 Sir, I admit your general rule,

That every poet is a fool,  

But you yourself may serve to show it,

That every fool is not a poet.

— Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Little strokes

Fell great oaks.

—   Benjamin Franklin

   

Men seldom make passes 

At girls who wear glasses. —Dorothy Parker  

Here lies my wife: here let her lie!

Now she's at rest — and so am I.

— John Dryden

I am His Highness' dog at Kew;

Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you?

— Alexander Pope

I'm tired of Love: I'm still more tired of Rhyme.

But Money gives me pleasure all the time.

— Hilaire Belloc

I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free.

— Nikos Kazantzakis

To define the beautiful is to misunderstand it.

— Charles Robert Anon (Fernando Pessoa)

To be safe on the Fourth,

Don't buy a fifth on the third.

— James H Muehlbauer

This Humanist whom no belief constrained

Grew so broad-minded he was scatter-brained.

— J.V. Cunningham

Candy Is dandy,

But liquor Is quicker. — Ogden Nash  

If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning.—Catherine the Great    

Questions are never indiscreet, answers sometimes are. —Oscar Wilde    

I'm not offended by dumb blonde jokes because I'm not dumb, and also I'm not blonde.—Dolly Parton     

Thanks to Wikipedia, The HyperTexts and the Academy of American Poets for some great gems!

Write an Epigram

It's a pithy little poem, the epigram. A few lines shot off from the hip, no?

Well....

Visit the Academy of American Poets or Wikipedia for overviews on the epigram. Then take a shot at it yourself.

Here are a few examples for inspiration:

I am His Highness' dog at Kew;
Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you?
— Alexander Pope


Candy
Is dandy,
But liquor
Is quicker
— Ogden Nash

Here lies my wife: here let her lie!

Now she's at rest - and so am I.

— John Dryden

A Lame Begger
I am unable, yonder beggar cries,
To stand, or move; if he say true, he lies.
— John Donne