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:
Vīcīnī fūris celebrēs vīdit nūptiās
Aesōpus, et continuō nārrāre incipit:
Uxōrem quondam Sōl cum vellet dūcere,
clāmōrem rānae sustulēre ad sīdera.
Convīciō permōtus quaerit Iuppiter
causam querellae. Quaedam tum stāgnī incola
"Nunc" inquit "omnēs ūnus exūrit lacūs,
cōgitque miserās āridā sēde ēmorī.
Quidnam futūrum est sī creārit līberōs?"
PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Aesōpus vīcīnī fūris celebrēs nūptiās vīdit et continuō nārrāre incipit: Quondam, cum Sōl uxōrem dūcere vellet, rānae clāmōrem ad sīdera sustulēre. Iuppiter, convīciō permōtus, querellae causam quaerit. Tum stāgnī incola quaedam inquit: "Nunc ūnus lacūs omnēs exūrit, et āridā sēde miserās ēmorī cōgit. Quidnam futūrum est sī līberōs creārit?"
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):
Aesópus vicíni furis célebres núptias vidit et contínuo narráre íncipit: Quondam, cum Sol uxórem dúcere vellet, ranae clamórem ad sídera sustulére. Iúppiter, convício permótus, queréllae causam quaerit. Tum stagni íncola quaedam inquit: "Nunc unus lacus omnes exúrit, et árida sede míseras émori cogit. Quidnam futúrum est si líberos creárit?"
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):
Vīcī·nī fū·ris cele·brēs vī·dit nūp·tiās
Aesō·pus, et· continu·ō nār·rār~ in·cipit:
Uxō·rem quon·dam Sōl· cum vel·let dū·cere,
clāmō·rem rā·nae sus·tulēr~· ad sī·dera.
Conv·īciō· permō·tus quae·rit Iup·piter
causam· querel·lae. Quae·dam tum· stāgn~ in·cola
Nunc in·quit om·nēs ū·nus ex·ūrit· lacūs,
cōgit·que mise·rās ā·ridā· sēd~ ē·morī.
Quidnam· futūr~ est sī· creā·rit lī·berōs?
IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) from a Renaissance edition of Aesop:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Aesopus vicini furis celebres nuptias vidit et continuo narrare incipit: Quondam, cum Sol uxorem ducere vellet, ranae clamorem ad sidera sustulere. Iuppiter, convicio permotus, querellae causam quaerit. Tum stagni incola quaedam inquit: "Nunc unus lacus omnes exurit, et arida sede miseras emori cogit. Quidnam futurum est si liberos crearit?"
