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:
Aequārī vult rāna bovī, tumet ergo; tumentī
Nātus ait: "Cessā, prae bove tōta nihil."Rāna dolet meliusque tumet; premit ille tumentem:
"Vincere non poteris, victa crepāre potēs."Tertius īrātam vexat tumor; illa tumōris
Cōpia findit eam; guttura rupta patent.Cum māiōre minor conferrī dēsinat et sē
Cōnsulat et vīrēs temperet ipse suās. PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Rāna bovī aequārī vult, tumet ergo; nātus tumentī ait: Cessā; prae bove tōta nihil. Rāna dolet et melius tumet; ille tumentem premit: Vincere nōn poteris; victa, crepāre potēs. Tertius, tumor īrātam vexat; illa tumōris cōpia eam findit; guttura rupta patent. Minor dēsinat cum māiōre conferrī, et sē cōnsulat, et ipse vīrēs suās temperet.
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 bovi aequári vult, tumet ergo; natus tuménti ait: Cessa; prae bove tota nihil. Rana dolet et mélius tumet; ille tuméntem premit: Víncere non póteris; victa, crepáre potes. Tértius, tumor irátam vexat; illa tumóris cópia eam findit; gúttura rupta patent. Minor désinat cum maióre conférri, et se cónsulat, et ipse vires suas témperet.
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.
Aequā·rī vult· rāna bo·vī, tumet· ergo; tu·mentī
Nātus a·it: "Ces·sā, || prae bove· tōta ni·hil."Rāna do·let meli·usque tu·met; premit· ille tu·mentem:
"Vincere· nōn pote·ris, || victa cre·pāre po·tēs."Tertius· īrā·tam vex·at tumor;· illa tu·mōris
Cōpia· findit e·am; || guttura· rupta pa·tent.Cum mā·iōre mi·nor con·ferrī· dēsinat· et sē
Cōnsulat· et vī·rēs || temperet· ipse su·ās.IMAGE. Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) by Arthur Rackham:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Rana bovi aequari vult, tumet ergo; natus tumenti ait: Cessa; prae bove tota nihil. Rana dolet et melius tumet; ille tumentem premit: Vincere non poteris; victa, crepare potes. Tertius, tumor iratam vexat; illa tumoris copia eam findit; guttura rupta patent. Minor desinat cum maiore conferri, et se consulat, et ipse vires suas temperet.
