READ OUT LOUD. Choose which marked text you prefer to practice with - macrons in verse form, or macrons in prose order, or accent marks in prose order, or focusing on the meter. You will find materials for all of these options below. :-)
VERSE MACRONS. Here is the verse text with macrons:
Errābat sociō Mors iuncta Cupīdine: sēcum
Mors pharetrās, parvus tēla gerēbat Amor.Dīvertēre simul, simul ūnā et nocte cubārunt:
Caecus Amor, Mors hōc tempore caeca fuit.Alter enim alterius male prōvida spīcula sumpsit,
Mors aurāta, tenet ossea tēla puerDēbuit inde senex quī nunc Acheronticus esse,
Ecce amat, et capitī flōrea serta parat.At ego mūtātō quia Amor mē perculit arcū,
Dēficiō, iniiciunt et mihi fāta manum.Parce puer, Mors signa tenēns victrīcia parce:
Fāc ego amem, subeat fāc Acheronta senex. PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Mors errābat, Cupīdine sociō iuncta: sēcum Mors pharetrās gerēbat, Amor parvus tēla. Unā simul dīvertēre, simul et nocte cubārunt: Amor caecus, Mors hōc tempore caeca fuit. Alter enim alterīus spīcula, male prōvida, sumpsit, Mors spīcula aurāta tenet, puer ossea tēla tenet. Inde senex, quī nunc Acheronticus esse dēbuit, ecce, amat, et flōrea serta capitī parat. At ego, quia Amor mē perculit, arcū mūtātō, dēficiō, et fāta mihi manum iniiciunt. Parce, puer; Mors victrīcia signa tenēns, parce: Fāc ego amem, fāc senex Acheronta subeat.
STRESS (ACCENT) MARKS. Here is the prose text with accents, plus some color-coding for the words of three or more syllables (blue: penultimate stress; red: antepenultimate stress):
Mors errábat, Cupídine sócio iuncta: secum Mors pháretras gerébat, Amor parvus tela. Una simul divertére, simul et nocte cubárunt: Amor caecus, Mors hoc témpore caeca fuit. Alter enim alteríus spícula, male próvida, sumpsit, Mors spícula auráta tenet, puer óssea tela tenet. Inde senex, qui nunc Acherónticus esse débuit, ecce, amat, et flórea serta cápiti parat. At ego, quia Amor me pérculit, arcu mutáto, defício, et fata mihi manum iniíciunt. Parce, puer; Mors victrícia signa tenens, parce: Fac ego amem, fac senex Acherónta súbeat.
ELEGIAC COUPLET METER. Below I have used an interpunct dot · to indicate the metrical elements in each line, and a double line || to indicate the hemistichs of the pentameter line.
Errā·bat soc·iō Mors· iuncta Cu·pīdine:· sēcum
Mors phare·trās, par·vus || tēla ge·rēbat A·mor.Dīver·tēre si·mul, simul· ūn~ et· nocte cu·bārunt:
Caecus A·mor, Mors· hōc || tempore· caeca fu·it.Alter en~· alteri·us male· prōvida· spīcula· sumpsit,
Mors au·rāta, te·net || ossea· tēla pu·erDēbuit· inde se·nex quī· nunc Ache·ronticus· esse,
Ecc~ amat,· et capi·tī || flōrea· serta pa·rat.At ego· mūtā·tō qui~ A·mor mē· perculit· arcū,
Dēfici~,· iniici·unt || et mihi· fāta ma·num.Parce pu·er, Mors· signa te·nēns vic·trīcia· parce:
Fāc eg~ a·mem, sube·at || fāc Ache·ronta se·nex.IMAGE. Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) by the 17th-century artist, Francis Barlow:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Mors errabat, Cupidine socio iuncta: secum Mors pharetras gerebat, Amor parvus tela. Una simul divertere, simul et nocte cubarunt: Amor caecus, Mors hoc tempore caeca fuit. Alter enim alterius spicula, male provida, sumpsit, Mors spicula aurata tenet, puer ossea tela tenet. Inde senex, qui nunc Acheronticus esse debuit, ecce, amat, et florea serta capiti parat. At ego, quia Amor me perculit, arcu mutato, deficio, et fata mihi manum iniiciunt. Parce, puer; Mors victricia signa tenens, parce: Fac ego amem, fac senex Acheronta subeat.
