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:
Aurea cottidiē pariēns erat ōva colōnō,
Ālite quae Gallō coniuge gaudet avis.Ille putāns aurī massam vī ventre recondī,
Hanc stolidō lūcrī captus amōre necat.Nīl tamen huīc aliud quae iam dissecta ministrat,
Quam quod habēre solent nōminis hūius avēs.Sīc inhiāns magnīs dum spē dēlīrat habendī,
Concessās etiam perdit avārus opes.Dīvitiās nimium cumulandī caeca cupīdo,
Noxia nī certā lēge regātur, erit.Immodicē flāgrāns amor est frēnandus habendī,
Contentumque suīs vīvere quemque decet.PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Colōnō erat avis, quae Gallō ālite coniuge gaudet, cottidiē pariēns ōva aurea. Ille putāns aurī massam vī ventre recondī; lūcrī amōre stolidō captus, hanc necat. Quae, iam dissecta, nīl tamen huīc ministrat aliud quam quod nōminis hūius avēs habēre solent. dum avārus, sīc spē habendī dēlīrat, magnīs inhiāns, perdit etiam concessās opes. cupīdo caeca dīvitiās cumulandī nimium erit, nī noxia certā lēge regātur. immodicē flāgrāns amor habendī frēnandus est, et quemque vīvere decet, contentum suīs.
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):
Colóno erat avis, quae Gallo álite cóniuge gaudet, cottídie páriens ova aúrea. Ille putans auri massam vi ventre recóndi; lucri amóre stólido captus, hanc necat. Quae, iam dissécta, nil tamen huic minístrat aliud quam quod nóminis huius aves habére solent. Dum avárus, sic spe habéndi delírat, magnis ínhians, perdit étiam concéssas opes. Cupído caeca divítias cumulándi nímium erit, ni nóxia certa lege regátur. Immódice flagrans amor habéndi frenándus est, et quemque vívere decet, conténtum suis.
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.
Aurea ·cottidi·ē pari·ēns erat· ōva co·lōnō,
Ālite ·quae Gal·lō || coniuge ·gaudet a·vis.Ille pu·tāns au·rī mas·sam vī ·ventre re·condī,
Hanc stoli·dō lūc·rī || captus a·mōre ne·cat.Nīl tamen· huīc ali·ud quae· iam dis·secta mi·nistrat,
Quam quod ha·bēre so·lent || nōminis· hūius a·vēs.Sīc inhi·āns mag·nīs dum ·spē dē·līrat ha·bendī,
Conces·sās eti·am || perdit a·vārus o·pes.Dīviti·ās nimi·um cumu·landī ·caeca cu·pīdo,
Noxia· nī cer·tā || lēge re·gātur, e·rit.Immodi·cē flā·grāns amor ·est frē·nandus ha·bendī,
Conten·tumque su·īs || vīvere ·quemque de·cet.IMAGE. For an illustration, here is an image from Steinhowel's Aesop, where you can see the man slicing into the poor goose with his knife:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Colono erat avis, quae Gallo alite coniuge gaudet, cottidie pariens ova aurea. Ille putans auri massam vi ventre recondi; lucri amore stolido captus, hanc necat. Quae, iam dissecta, nil tamen huic ministrat aliud quam quod nominis huius aves habere solent. dum avarus, sic spe habendi delirat, magnis inhians, perdit etiam concessas opes. cupido caeca divitias cumulandi nimium erit, ni noxia certa lege regatur. immodice flagrans amor habendi frenandus est, et quemque vivere decet, contentum suis.
