Carolyn Burke, age 15, of Vancouver, Wash., for her question:

WHO WROTE THE FIRST EPIGRAM?

An epigram is a short clever remark delivered in prose or verse. It is a saying that is tersely expressed in a witty, ingenious or pointed way. The ancient Greek poets used the epigram as a way to present a single thought in a very delicate way.

"Epigram" comes from the Greek words meaning "to write upon." The first epigrams had to be short because they were written expressly to be engraved on statues or monuments.

The ancient Roman poets used the epigram for satire and their short poems were used to attack those they didn't like. The English poets of the 17th Century used the epigram in the Greek style and it has been used regularly by poets and writers of prose ever since.

Here's an epigram by modern poet Mark Van Doren: Wit is the only wall between us and the dark.