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:
Rāna ferox agilī bellum cum Mūre gerēbat,
Vincendī studiō saevus uterque fuit.Mūs parit īnsidiīs animōsam vincere Rānam,
At quae nōn vincī vīribus ūsa potest.Saevit uterque suum sīc dum sēcūrus in hostem,
Quō nihil exceptō posse nocēre putat:Imprōvīsus adest, rapidēque hōs Milvuus aufert,
Atque cibum rōstrō dīlaniante facit.Nōn scelerāta diū poenās audācia vītat,
Quās solet illa gravēs, auspice ferre Deō.Līte movent stultī dum bella domestica cīvēs,
Hinc externus opem, quā valet hostis, habet. PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Rāna ferox cum Mūre agilī bellum gerēbat; uterque vincendī studiō saevus fuit. Mūs īnsidiīs Rānam animōsam vincere parit, at Rana, vīribus ūsa, vincī nōn potest. Dum uterque sēcūrus in hostem suum sīc saevit, putat nihil nocēre posse, hoste exceptō; Milvuus imprōvīsus adest et rapidē hōs aufert, atque rōstrō dīlaniante cibum facit. Nōn diū audācia scelerāta poenās vītat; illa poenās gravēs ferre solet, auspice Deō. Dum līte cīvēs stultī bella domestica movent, hinc hostis externus opem, quā valet, habet.
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):
Rana ferox cum Mure ágili bellum gerébat; utérque vincéndi stúdio saevus fuit. Mus insídiis Ranam animósam víncere parit, at Rana, víribus usa, vinci non potest. Dum utérque secúrus in hostem suum sic saevit, putat nihil nocére posse, hoste excépto; Mílvuus improvísus adest et rápide hos aufert, atque rostro dilaniánte cibum facit. Non diu audácia sceleráta poenas vitat; illa poenas graves ferre solet, aúspice Deo. Dum lite cives stulti bella doméstica movent, hinc hostis extérnus opem, qua valet, habet.
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.
Rāna fe·rox agi·lī bel·lum cum· Mūre ge·rēbat,
Vincen·dī studi·ō || saevus u·terque fu·it.Mūs parit· īnsidi·īs ani·mōsam ·vincere· Rānam,
At quae· nōn vin·cī || vīribus ·ūsa po·test.Saevit u·terque su·um sīc· dum sē·cūrus in· hostem,
Quō nihil· excep·tō || posse no·cēre pu·tat:Imprō·vīsus a·dest, rapi·dēqu~ hōs· Milvuus ·aufert,
Atque ci·bum rōs·trō || dīlani·ante fa·cit.Nōn scele·rāta di·ū poe·nās au·dācia ·vītat,
Quās solet· illa gra·vēs, || auspice· ferre De·ō.Līte mo·vent stul·tī dum ·bella do·mestica· cīvēs,
Hinc ex·ternus o·pem, || quā valet· hostis, ha·bet.IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story from the 1574 edition of Osius:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Rana ferox cum Mure agili bellum gerebat; uterque vincendi studio saevus fuit. Mus insidiis Ranam animosam vincere parit, at Rana, viribus usa, vinci non potest. Dum uterque securus in hostem suum sic saevit, putat nihil nocere posse, hoste excepto; Milvuus improvisus adest et rapide hos aufert, atque rostro dilaniante cibum facit. Non diu audacia scelerata poenas vitat; illa poenas graves ferre solet, auspice Deo. Dum lite cives stulti bella domestica movent, hinc hostis externus opem, qua valet, habet.
