Friday, February 12, 2010

Muscae et Mel (Dana)

SOURCE: Liber Primus, by Joseph Dana (1832) at GoogleBooks. For more information and other versions of this fable, see the links list for Perry 80.

READ OUT LOUD. Choose which marked text you prefer to practice with - macrons or accent marks - and read the text out loud until you feel comfortable and confident. Then, try reading the unmarked text at the bottom. It should be easy for you after practicing with the marked texts. :-)


MACRONS. Here is the text with macrons:

Ad mel profūsum in cellā quādam advolantēs muscae, illīus dulcissimō succō iūcundissimē pascēbantur. Sed iam saturae, cum āvolāre vellent, pedibus nītentibus, etiam ālīs in tenāce liquōre haerentibus, moritūrae, "Ō miserae (inquiunt), quantillus nōbīs cibus interitum attulit."



ACCENT MARKS. Here is the text with ecclesiastical accents, plus some color-coding for the words of three or more syllables (blue: penultimate stress; red: antepenultimate stress):

Ad mel profúsum in cella quadam advolántes muscae, illíus dulcíssimo succo iucundíssime pascebántur. Sed iam sáturae, cum avoláre vellent, pédibus niténtibus, étiam alis in tenáce liquóre haeréntibus, moritúrae, "O míserae (ínquiunt), quantíllus nobis cibus intéritum áttulit."



UNMARKED TEXT. Here is the unmarked text - after practicing with the marked text that you prefer, you should not have any trouble with the unmarked text:

Ad mel profusum
in cella quadam
advolantes muscae,
illius dulcissimo succo
iucundissime pascebantur.
Sed iam saturae,
cum avolare vellent,
pedibus nitentibus,
etiam
alis in tenace liquore haerentibus,
moriturae,
"O miserae (inquiunt),
quantillus nobis cibus
interitum attulit."



Here is an illustration from the Medici Aesop, which is online at the New York Public Library website.