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:
In stabulīs faenī plēnīs Canis incubat ācer;
Ecce! comēsūrus pābula Taurus adest.Prōtinus hunc saevīs prohibet lātrātibus ille;
Nec sinit impāstum līmen adīre Bovem.Bōs ait īrātus, "Tē perdant, invide, Dīvī!
Ipse nequīs vēscī, mē prohibēsque cibō." PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Canis ācer incubat in stabulīs faenī plēnīs. Ecce! Taurus adest, pābula comēsūrus. Prōtinus Canis lātrātibus saevīs Taurum prohibet, et non sinit Bovem, impāstum, līmen adīre. Bōs, īrātus, ait: "Dīvī tē perdant, invide! Tu ipse vēscī nequīs, et mē cibō prohibēs.
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):
Canis acer íncubat in stábulis faeni plenis. Ecce! Taurus adest, pábula comesúrus. Prótinus Canis latrátibus saevis Taurum próhibet, et non sinit Bovem, impástum, limen adíre. Bos, irátus, ait: "Divi te perdant, ínvide! Tu ipse vesci nequis, et me cibo próhibes."
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.
In stabu·līs fae·nī plē·nīs Canis· incubat· ācer;
Ecce! co·mēsū·rus || pābula· Taurus a·dest.Prōtinus· hunc sae·vīs prohi·bet lā·trātibus· ille;
Nec sinit· impās·tum || līmen a·dīre Bo·vem.Bōs ait· īrā·tus, Tē· perdant,· invide,· Dīvī!
Ipse ne·quīs vēs·cī, || mē prohi·bēsque ci·bō.IMAGE. Here is the illustration of the "dog in the manger" (image source) by Walter Crane:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Canis acer incubat in stabulis faeni plenis. Ecce! Taurus adest, pabula comesurus. Protinus Canis latratibus saevis Taurum prohibet, et non sinit Bovem, impastum, limen adire. Bos, iratus, ait: "Divi te perdant, invide! Tu ipse vesci nequis, et me cibo prohibes.
