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:
In causam canis urget ovem; sedet arbiter, audit.
Reddat ovis pānem vult canis, illa negat.Prō cane stat milvus, stat vultur, stat lupus; īnstant,
Pānem quem pepigit reddere, reddat ovis.Reddere nōn dēbet, nec habet quid reddere possit.
Et tamen ut reddat, arbiter īnstat ovī.Ergo suum, licet īnstet hiems, pervendit amictum,
Et Boream patitur vellere nūda suō.Saepe fidem falsō mendīcat inertia teste,
Saepe dolet pietas crīminis arte capī. PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Canis ovem urget in causam; arbiter sedet, audit. Canis vult ovis reddat pānem; illa negat. Prō cane stat milvus, stat vultur, stat lupus. Īnstant ovis pānem, quem reddere pepigit, reddat. Reddere nōn dēbet, nec habet quid reddere possit. Et tamen arbiter ovī īnstat ut reddat. Ergo amictum suum pervendit, licet hiems īnstet, et Boream patitur, vellere suō nūda. Saepe, teste falsō, inertia fidem mendīcat; saepe pietas dolet crīminis arte capī.
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):
Canis ovem urget in causam; árbiter sedet, audit. Canis vult ovis reddat panem; illa negat. Pro cane stat milvus, stat vultur, stat lupus. Instant ovis panem, quem réddere pépigit, reddat. Réddere non debet, nec habet quid réddere possit. Et tamen árbiter ovi instat ut reddat. Ergo amíctum suum pervéndit, licet hiems instet, et Bóream pátitur, véllere suo nuda. Saepe, teste falso, inértia fidem mendícat; saepe píetas dolet críminis arte capi.
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.
In cau·sam canis· urget o·vem; sedet· arbiter,· audit.
Reddat o·vis pā·nem || vult canis,· illa ne·gat.Prō cane· stat mil·vus, stat· vultur,· stat lupus;· īnstant,
Pānem· quem pepi·git || reddere·, reddat o·vis.Reddere· nōn dē·bet, nec ha·bet quid· reddere· possit.
Et tamen· ut red·dat, || arbiter· īnstat o·vī.Ergo su·um, licet· īnstet hi·ems, per·vendit a·mictum,
Et Bore·am pati·tur || vellere· nūda su·ō.Saepe fi·dem fal·sō men·dīcat i·nertia· teste,
Saepe do·let pie·tas || crīminis· arte ca·pī.IMAGE. Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) from a Renaissance edition of Aesop:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Canis ovem urget in causam; arbiter sedet, audit. Canis vult ovis reddat panem; illa negat. Pro cane stat milvus, stat vultur, stat lupus. Instant ovis panem, quem reddere pepigit, reddat. Reddere non debet, nec habet quid reddere possit. Et tamen arbiter ovi instat ut reddat. Ergo amictum suum pervendit, licet hiems instet, et Boream patitur, vellere suo nuda. Saepe, teste falso, inertia fidem mendicat; saepe pietas dolet criminis arte capi.
