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:
Orba virō Mulier Gallīnam pauper habēbat,
Singula quae quōvīs ēdidit ōva diē.Bīna diē, aut etiam paritūram terna putābat,
Cūra sagīnandī sēdula sīqua foret.Sed iam facta cibō cum largō pinguior esset,
Ōva magis sterilī corpore nulla parit.Quōs dītescendī nimis urget avāra cupīdo,
Quae sunt bīs, etiam perdere saepe solent.PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Mulier pauper, orba virō, Gallīnam habēbat, quae ōva singula ēdidit quōvīs diē. Putābat bīna aut etiam terna diē paritūram, sīqua cūra sagīnandī sēdula foret. Sed cum iam cibō largō pinguior facta esset, nulla ōva magis parit, sterilī corpore. Quōs cupīdo dītescendī nimis avāra urget, etiam bīs perdere saepe solent quae sunt.
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):
Múlier pauper, orba viro, Gallínam habébat, quae ova síngula édidit quovis die. Putábat bina aut étiam terna die paritúram, siqua cura saginándi sédula foret. Sed cum iam cibo largo pínguior facta esset, nulla ova magis parit, stérili córpore. Quos cupído ditescéndi nimis avára urget, étiam bis pérdere saepe solent quae sunt.
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.
Orba vi·rō Muli·er Gal·līnam· pauper ha·bēbat,
Singula ·quae quō·vīs || ēdidit ·ōva di·ē.Bīna di·~, aut eti·am pari·tūram ·terna pu·tābat,
Cūra sa·gīnan·dī || sēdula· sīqua fo·ret.Sed iam ·facta ci·bō cum ·largō· pinguior ·esset,
Ōva ma·gis steri·lī || corpore· nulla pa·rit.Quōs dī·tescen·dī nimis· urget a·vāra cu·pīdo,
Quae sunt· bīs, eti·am || perdere· saepe so·lent.IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story from the 1574 edition of Osius:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Mulier pauper, orba viro, Gallinam habebat, quae ova singula edidit quovis die. Putabat bina aut etiam terna die parituram, siqua cura saginandi sedula foret. Sed cum iam cibo largo pinguior facta esset, nulla ova magis parit, sterili corpore. Quos cupido ditescendi nimis avara urget, etiam bis perdere saepe solent quae sunt.
