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:
Terra tumet; tumor ille gemit gemitūque fatētur
Partum; paene perit sexus uterque metū.Cum tumeat tellus, mōnstrat sē mōnstra datūram.
Horrent et trepidant et prope stāre cavent.In rīsum timor ille redit, nam turgida mūrem
Terra parit; iocus est quod timor ante fuit.Saepe minus faciunt hominēs, quī magna minantur.
Saepe gerit nimiōs causa pusilla metūs. PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Terra tumet; tumor ille gemit et gemitū partum fatētur; sexus uterque paene perit metū. Cum tellus tumeat, mōnstrat sē mōnstra datūram. Horrent et trepidant et cavent prope stāre. Timor ille in rīsum redit, nam terra turgida mūrem parit; iocus est quod timor ante fuit. Saepe minus faciunt hominēs, quī magna minantur. Saepe causa pusilla nimiōs metūs gerit.
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):
Terra tumet; tumor ille gemit et gémitu partum fatétur; sexus utérque paene perit metu. Cum tellus túmeat, monstrat se monstra datúram. Horrent et trépidant et cavent prope stare. Timor ille in risum redit, nam terra túrgida murem parit; iocus est quod timor ante fuit. Saepe minus fáciunt hómines, qui magna minántur. Saepe causa pusílla nímios metus gerit.
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.
Terra tu·met; tumor· ille ge·mit gemi·tūque fa·tētur
Partum;· paene pe·rit || sexus u·terque me·tū.Cum tume·at tel·lus, mōn·strat sē· mōnstra da·tūram.
Horrent· et trepi·dant || et prope· stāre ca·vent.In rī·sum timor· ille re·dit, nam· turgida· mūrem
Terra pa·rit; iocus· est || quod timor· ante fu·it.Saepe mi·nus faci·unt homi·nēs, quī· magna mi·nantur.
Saepe ge·rit nimi·ōs || causa pu·silla me·tūs.IMAGE. Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) by Aractingy - look for the little mouse!
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Terra tumet; tumor ille gemit et gemitu partum fatetur; sexus uterque paene perit metu. Cum tellus tumeat, monstrat se monstra daturam. Horrent et trepidant et cavent prope stare. Timor ille in risum redit, nam terra turgida murem parit; iocus est quod timor ante fuit. Saepe minus faciunt homines, qui magna minantur. Saepe causa pusilla nimios metus gerit.
