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:
Septitius, populōs inter dītissimus omnēs,
Arva senex nullus quō magis ampla tenet:Dēfraudans geniumque suum, mēnsāsque parātās,
Nīl praeter bētās dūraque rāpa vorat.Cuī similem dīcam hunc, inopem quem cōpia reddit?
Anne asinō? sīc est: īnstar hic ēius habet.Namque asinus dorsō pretiōsa obsōnia gestat,
Sēque rubō, aut dūrā cārice pauper alit. PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Septitius, inter populōs omnēs dītissimus, quō senex nullus arva magis ampla tenet: dēfraudans et genium suum, et mēnsās parātās, nīl praeter bētās et dūra rāpa vorat. Cuī similem hunc dīcam, quem cōpia inopem reddit? Anne asinō? Sīc est: hic ēius īnstar habet. Namque asinus dorsō pretiōsa obsōnia gestat, et rubō aut dūrā cārice sē alit, pauper.
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):
Septítius, inter pópulos omnes ditíssimus, quo senex nullus arva magis ampla tenet: defraúdans et génium suum, et mensas parátas, nil praeter betas et dura rapa vorat. Cui símilem hunc dicam, quem copia ínopem reddit? Anne ásino? Sic est: hic eius instar habet. Namque ásinus dorso pretiósa obsónia gestat, et rubo aut dura cárice se alit, pauper.
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.
Septiti·us, popu·lōs in·ter dī·tissimus· omnēs,
Arva se·nex nul·lus || quō magis· ampla te·net:Dēfrau·dans geni·umque su·um, mēn·sāsque pa·rātās,
Nīl prae·ter bē·tās || dūraque· rāpa vo·rat.Cuī simi·lem dī·c~ hunc, ino·pem quem· cōpia· reddit?
Ann~ asi·nō? sīc· est: || īnstar hic· ēius ha·bet.Namqu~ asi·nus dor·sō preti·ōs~ ob·sōnia· gestat,
Sēque ru·b~, aut dū·rā || cārice· pauper a·lit.IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source).
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Septitius, inter populos omnes ditissimus, quo senex nullus arva magis ampla tenet: defraudans et genium suum, et mensas paratas, nil praeter betas et dura rapa vorat. Cui similem hunc dicam, quem copia inopem reddit? Anne asino? Sic est: hic eius instar habet. Namque asinus dorso pretiosa obsonia gestat, et rubo aut dura carice se alit, pauper.
