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:
Rusticus - acta loquor - rapidum parat īre per amnem;
Turbidus hībernīs ille fluēbat aquīs.Approperat rīpam; prōnō ruit aequore vortex:
Mox vada, quā currat lēnius unda, petit:Ēn vada mox reperit; quae vīsa quiētior, ista
Altior unda fuit; nec tamen īre potest."Frontī nulla fides," sīc sēcum volvit agrestis;
"Tūtior est torrēns; saevior unda silet." PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Acta loquor: Rusticus per amnem rapidum īre parat; ille amnis, aquīs hībernīs turbidus, fluēbat. Rusticus rīpam approperat; vortex aequore prōnō ruit. Mox Rusticus vada petit, quā unda lēnius currat. Ēn: mox vada reperit. Unda ista, quae quiētior vīsa est, altior fuit, nec tamen īre potest. Agrestis sīc sēcum volvit: "Frontī nulla fides et. Torrēns tūtior est; saevior unda silet."
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):
Acta loquor: Rústicus per amnem rápidum ire parat; ille amnis, aquis hibérnis túrbidus, fluébat. Rústicus ripam appróperat; vortex aéquore prono ruit. Mox Rústicus vada petit, qua unda lénius currat. En: mox vada réperit. Unda ista, quae quiétior visa est, áltior fuit, nec tamen ire potest. Agréstis sic secum volvit: "Fronti nulla fides et. Torrens tútior est; saévior unda silet."
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.
Rusticus,· acta lo·quor, rapi·dum para·t īre per· amnem;
Turbidus· hīber·nīs || ille flu·ēbat a·quīs.Apprope·rat rī·pam; prō·nō ruit· aequore· vortex:
Mox vada,· quā cur·rat || lēnius· unda, pe·tit:Ēn vada· mox repe·rit; quae· vīsa qui·ētior,· ista
Altior· unda fu·it; || nec tamen· īre po·test.Frontī· nulla fi·des, sīc· sēcum· volvit a·grestis;
Tūtior· est tor·rēns; || saevior· unda si·let.IMAGE. Here's an illustration for the fable (image source):
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Acta loquor: Rusticus per amnem rapidum ire parat; ille amnis, aquis hibernis turbidus, fluebat. Rusticus ripam approperat; vortex aequore prono ruit. Mox Rusticus vada petit, qua unda lenius currat. En: mox vada reperit. Unda ista, quae quietior visa est, altior fuit, nec tamen ire potest. Agrestis sic secum volvit: "Fronti nulla fides et. Torrens tutior est; saevior unda silet."
