Poetic Form
Epigram
From Greek epigramma: inscription. Originally inscriptions on monuments; became a literary genre in the hands of Martial and, in English, Ben Jonson, Pope, and Wilde.
Definition
A brief, pointed, and polished poem or statement, witty in expression and often satirical in intent.
Example
Oscar Wilde: 'I can resist everything except temptation.' Pope's Essay on Criticism consists largely of verse epigrams.