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 iambic meter. You will find materials for all of these options below. :-)
VERSE MACRONS. Here is the verse text with macrons:
Quī pretium meritī ab improbīs dēsīderat,
bis peccat: prīmum quoniam indīgnōs adiuvat,
impūne abīre deinde quia iam nōn potest.
Os dēvorātum fauce cum haerēret lupī,
māgnō dolōre vīctus coepit singulōs
inlicere pretiō ut illud extraherent malum.
Tandem persuāsa est iūre iūrandō gruis,
gulae quae crēdēns collī longitūdinem
perīculōsam fēcit medicīnam lupō.
Ā quō cum pactum flāgitāret praemium,
"Ingrāta es" inquit "ōre quae ē nostrō caput
incolume abstuleris et mercēdem postulēs."
PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Bis peccat quī meritī pretium ab improbīs dēsīderat: prīmum, quoniam indīgnōs adiuvat, deinde, quia impūne abīre iam nōn potest. Cum os dēvorātum lupī fauce haerēret, māgnō dolōre vīctus, singulōs pretiō inlicere coepit ut illud malum extraherent. Tandem gruis iūre iūrandō persuāsa est, quae, collī longitūdinem gulae crēdēns, perīculōsam medicīnam lupō fēcit. Ā quō cum praemium pactum flāgitāret, inquit: "Ingrāta es quae ē nostrō ōre caput incolume abstuleris et mercēdem postulēs."
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):
Bis peccat qui mériti prétium ab ímprobis desíderat: primum, quóniam indígnos ádiuvat, deinde, quia impúne abíre iam non potest. Cum os devorátum lupi fauce haeréret, magno dolóre victus, síngulos prétio inlícere coepit ut illud malum extráherent. Tandem gruis iure iurándo persuása est, quae, colli longitúdinem gulae credens, periculósam medicínam lupo fecit. A quo cum praémium pactum flagitáret, inquit: "Ingráta es quae e nostro ore caput incólume abstúleris et mercédem póstules."
IAMBIC METER. Here is the verse text with some color coding to assist in the iambic meter. The disyllabic elements (iambs/spondees) are not marked, but the trisyllabic elements are color-coded: dactyls are red, anapests are purple, and tribrachs are green (as is any proceleusmaticus, although that is a rare creature):
Quī preti·um merit~· ab im·probīs· dēsī·derat,
bis pec·cat: prī·mum quoni~· indīg·nōs ad·iuvat,
impūn~· abī·re dein·de quia· iam nōn· potest.
Os dē·vorā·tum fau·ce c~ hae·rēret· lupī,
māgnō· dolō·re vīc·tus coe·pit sin·gulōs
inlice·re preti~· ut il·lud ex·tr~erent· malum.
Tandem· persuā·s~ est iū·re iū·randō· gruis,
gulae· quae crē·dēns col·lī lon·gitū·dinem
perī·culō·sam fē·cit medi·cīnam· lupō.
Ā quō· cum pac·tum flā·gitā·ret prae·mium,
Ingrāt~· es in·quit ō·re qu~ ē· nostrō· caput
incolu·m~ abstule·ris et· mercē·dem pos·tulēs.
IMAGE. For an image of the story, here is an illustration by Walter Crane, which is unusual in that it shows the crane after she has pulled out the bone (you can see the bone if you look closely; you can click on the image for a larger view) - most illustrations of the story instead show the crane with her head plunged inside the mouth of the wolf (as you can see in these other illustrations). This shows the bird at the moment when she has successfully performed the surgery and is asking for her reward!
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Bis peccat qui meriti pretium ab improbis desiderat: primum, quoniam indignos adiuvat, deinde, quia impune abire iam non potest. Cum os devoratum lupi fauce haereret, magno dolore victus, singulos pretio inlicere coepit ut illud malum extraherent. Tandem gruis iure iurando persuasa est, quae, colli longitudinem gulae credens, periculosam medicinam lupo fecit. A quo cum praemium pactum flagitaret, inquit: "Ingrata es quae e nostro ore caput incolume abstuleris et mercedem postules."
