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:
Līberet haerentem laqueō sē Milvius ōrat
Mūrem, nec miserō ferre gravētur opem.Efficit hic nullō quod paene labōre rogantī,
Ista tamen cuī rēs exitiōsa fuit.Milvius exitiī quō presserat auspice causam,
Arripiēns praedam perfida fēcit avis.Reddere prō meritīs haec prāvī praemia gaudent,
Ut, cum prōfuerīs ipse, nocēre velint.Ut, servāta tuō cum mūnere vīta sit illīs,
Interitūs hī sint causa dolenda tuī.PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Milvius Mūrem ōrat sē, laqueō haerentem, līberet, nec gravētur opem miserō ferre. Hic rogantī quod paene nullō labōre efficit, cuī tamen rēs ista exitiōsa fuit. Milvius, avis perfida, murem arripiēns, praedam fēcit, quō auspice exitiī causam presserat. Prāvī haec praemia reddere gaudent prō meritīs, ut, cum prōfuerīs ipse, nocēre velint, ut, cum illīs vīta servāta sit mūnere tuō, hī sint interitūs tuī causa dolenda.
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):
Mílvius Murem orat se, láqueo haeréntem, líberet, nec gravétur opem mísero ferre. Hic rogánti quod paene nullo labóre éfficit, cui tamen res ista exitiósa fuit. Mílvius, avis pérfida, murem arrípiens, praedam fecit, quo aúspice exítii causam présserat. Pravi haec praémia réddere gaudent pro méritis, ut, cum profúeris ipse, nocére velint, ut, cum illis vita serváta sit múnere tuo, hi sint intéritus tui causa dolénda.
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.
Līberet· haeren·tem laque·ō sē· Milvius· ōrat
Mūrem, ·nec mise·rō || ferre gra·vētur o·pem.Efficit ·hic nul·lō quod ·paene la·bōre ro·gantī,
Ista ta·men cuī· rēs || exiti·ōsa fu·it.Milvius· exiti·ī quō ·presserat ·auspice ·causam,
Arripi·ēns prae·dam || perfida· fēcit a·vis.Reddere· prō meri·tīs haec· prāvī· praemia· gaudent,
Ut, cum ·prōfue·rīs || ipse, no·cēre ve·lint.Ut, ser·vāta tu·ō cum· mūnere ·vīta sit· illīs,
Interi·tūs hī ·sint || causa do·lenda tu·ī.IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source), showing a kite:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Milvius Murem orat se, laqueo haerentem, liberet, nec gravetur opem misero ferre. Hic roganti quod paene nullo labore efficit, cui tamen res ista exitiosa fuit. Milvius, avis perfida, murem arripiens, praedam fecit, quo auspice exitii causam presserat. Pravi haec praemia reddere gaudent pro meritis, ut, cum profueris ipse, nocere velint, ut, cum illis vita servata sit munere tuo, hi sint interitus tui causa dolenda.
