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:
Arbore in excelsā videt Auceps forte Columbam;
Accidit ut miseram nōn mora captet avem.Attamen imprūdēns taetrum simul opprimit Anguem;
Quī mala mortiferō vulnera dente tulit."Mē miserum," clāmat moriēns, "Mors mē rapit ipsum,
Dum grave fātum aliīs insidiāsque parō."Nē tū fallāris; nam nōn sine vindice pūrī
Intereunt: caveās, dum petis, ipse cadās! PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Forte, Auceps Columbam videt in arbore excelsā. Accidit (nōn mora) ut avem miseram captet. Attamen imprūdēns simul anguem taetrum opprimit, quī dente mortiferō vulnera mala tulit. Auceps, moriēns, clāmat: "Mē miserum! Mors mē ipsum rapit, dum fātum grave et insidiās aliīs parō." Nē tū fallāris: nam pūrī nōn intereunt sine vindice; dum petis, caveās ne tu ipse cadās!
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):
Forte, Auceps Colúmbam videt in árbore excélsa. Áccidit (non mora) ut avem míseram captet. Áttamen imprúdens simul anguem taetrum ópprimit, qui dente mortífero vúlnera mala tulit. Auceps, móriens, clamat: "Me míserum! Mors me ipsum rapit, dum fatum grave et ínsidias áliis paro." Ne tu falláris: nam puri non intéreunt sine víndice; dum petis, cáveas ne tu ipse cadas!
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.
Arbor~ i·n excel·sā videt· Auceps· forte Co·lumbam;
Accidit· ut mise·ram || nōn mora· captet a·vem.Attamen· imprū·dēns tae·trum simul· opprimit· Anguem
Quī mala· mortife·rō || vulnera· dente tu·lit.Mē mise·rum, clā·mat mori·ēns, Mors· mē rapit· ipsum,
Dum grave· fāt~ ali·īs || insidi·āsque pa·rō.Nē tū· fallā·ris; nam· nōn sine· vindice· pūrī
Intere·unt: cave·ās, || dum petis,· ipse ca·dās!IMAGE. Here is the illustration of the fable (image source) from Osius's book of fables.
Here is another illustration from the Medici Aesop, which is online at the New York Public Library website.
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Forte, Auceps Columbam videt in arbore excelsa. Accidit (non mora) ut avem miseram captet. Attamen imprudens simul anguem taetrum opprimit, qui dente mortifero vulnera mala tulit. Auceps, moriens, clamat: "Me miserum! Mors me ipsum rapit, dum fatum grave et insidias aliis paro." Ne tu fallaris: nam puri non intereunt sine vindice; dum petis, caveas ne tu ipse cadas!
