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:
Silva novae capulum dabat exōrante secūrī
Lignātōre suī causa dolenda malī.Nam simul huīc datus est oleastrī stīpes ad ūsum,
Hoc īnstructa suum est orsa secūris opus.Quā silvam populāns caedendō strēnuus īnstat,
Arboreum truncāns gnāviter omne nemus.Fraxinus ā quercū tum sīc vīcīna monētur,
Fortibus haec animīs damna ferenda soror:Cogimur auctōrēs quoniam nōs esse fatērī,
Nolle sit haec ergō nōn tolerāre pudor.In sēsē quīcumque suōs armāverit hostēs,
Exitiī causam mōverit ipse suī. PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Lignātōre novae secūrī capulum exōrante, silva dabat, malī suī causa dolenda. Nam simul stīpes oleastrī huīc datus est ad ūsum, secūris īnstructa hoc opus suum orsa est. Strēnuus īnstat, populāns silvam caedendō secūre, gnāviter truncāns omne nemus arboreum. Fraxinus vīcīna tum ā quercū sīc monētur, "Soror, haec damna fortibus animīs ferenda: quoniam fatērī cogimur nōs esse auctōrēs; ergō pudor nōn sit nolle haec tolerāre." Quīcumque hostēs suōs in sēsē armāverit, ipse exitiī suī causam mōverit.
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):
Lignatóre novae secúri cápulum exoránte, silva dabat, mali sui causa dolénda. Nam simul stipes oleástri huic datus est ad usum, secúris instrúcta hoc opus suum orsa est. Strénuus instat, pópulans silvam caedéndo secúre, gnáviter truncans omne nemus arbóreum. Fráxinus vicína tum a quercu sic monétur, "Soror, haec damna fórtibus ánimis ferénda: quóniam fatéri cógimur nos esse auctóres; ergo pudor non sit nolle haec toleráre." Quicúmque hostes suos in sese armáverit, ipse exítii sui causam móverit.
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.
Silva no·vae capu·lum dabat ·exō·rante se·cūrī
Lignā·tōre su·ī || causa do·lenda ma·lī.Nam simul ·huīc datus ·est ole·astrī ·stīpes ad· ūsum,
Hoc īn·structa su·~ est || orsa se·cūris o·pus.Quā sil·vam popu·lāns cae·dendō· strēnuus· īnstat,
Arbore·um trun·cāns || gnāviter ·omne ne·mus.Fraxinus· ā quer·cū tum ·sīc vī·cīna mo·nētur,
Fortibus· haec ani·mīs || damna fe·renda so·ror:Cogimur ·auctō·rēs quoni·am nō·s esse fa·tērī,
Nolle sit· haec er·gō || nōn tole·rāre pu·dor.In sē·sē quī·cumque su·ōs ar·māverit ·hostēs,
Exiti·ī cau·sam || mōverit· ipse su·ī.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: Lignatore novae securi capulum exorante, silva dabat, mali sui causa dolenda. Nam simul stipes oleastri huic datus est ad usum, securis instructa hoc opus suum orsa est. Strenuus instat, populans silvam caedendo secure, gnaviter truncans omne nemus arboreum. Fraxinus vicina tum a quercu sic monetur, "Soror, haec damna fortibus animis ferenda: quoniam fateri cogimur nos esse auctores; ergo pudor non sit nolle haec tolerare." Quicumque hostes suos in sese armaverit, ipse exitii sui causam moverit.
