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:
Dum vulpes aquilam prō raptā prōle perungit
Melle precum, praedam reddere nescit avis.Praeda gemit nīdīque timet cibus esse gulōsī,
Sed redimit nātōs ūtilis arte parēns.Arboreum zōnat stipulīs et vīmine truncum,
In stipulam doctō dīrigit ōre facem.In pullōs aquilae coniūrat cōpia fūmī.
Hanc tamen et vulpem prōvida pācat avis.Nōn sit quī studeat, quia māior, obesse minōrī,
Cum bene māiōrī possit obesse minor. PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Dum vulpes aquilam precum melle prō raptā prōle perungit, avis praedam reddere nescit. Praeda gemit et timet nīdī gulōsī cibus esse, sed parēns nātōs redimit, arte ūtilis. Arboreum stipulīs zōnat et truncum vīmine; facem in stipulam dīrigit, ōre doctō. Fūmī cōpia in aquilae pullōs coniūrat. Avis prōvida tamen et hanc vulpem pācat. Nōn sit quī studeat minōrī obesse, quia māior, cum bene possit māiōrī obesse minor.
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):
Dum vulpes áquilam precum melle pro rapta prole perúngit, avis praedam réddere nescit. Praeda gemit et timet nidi gulósi cibus esse, sed parens natos rédimit, arte útilis. Arbóreum stípulis zonat et truncum vímine; facem in stípulam dírigit, ore docto. Fumi cópia in áquilae pullos coniúrat. Avis próvida tamen et hanc vulpem pacat. Non sit qui stúdeat minóri obésse, quia maior, cum bene possit maióri obésse minor.
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.
Dum vul·pes aqui·lam prō· raptā· prōle pe·rungit
Melle pre·cum, prae·dam || reddere· nescit a·vis.Praeda ge·mit nī·dīque ti·met cibus· esse gu·lōsī,
Sed redi·mit nā·tōs || ūtilis· arte pa·rēns.Arbore·um zō·nat stipu·līs et· vīmine· truncum,
In stipu·lam doc·tō || dīrigi·t ōre fa·cem.In pul·lōs aqui·lae con·iūrat· cōpia· fūmī.
Hanc tamen· et vul·pem || prōvida· pācat a·vis.Nōn sit· quī stude·at, quia· māior, o·besse mi·nōrī,
Cum bene· māiō·rī || possit o·besse mi·nor.IMAGE. Here is the illustration of the fable by Francis Barlow:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Dum vulpes aquilam precum melle pro rapta prole perungit, avis praedam reddere nescit. Praeda gemit et timet nidi gulosi cibus esse, sed parens natos redimit, arte utilis. Arboreum stipulis zonat et truncum vimine; facem in stipulam dirigit, ore docto. Fumi copia in aquilae pullos coniurat. Avis provida tamen et hanc vulpem pacat. Non sit qui studeat minori obesse, quia maior, cum bene possit maiori obesse minor.
