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 iambic meter. You will find materials for all of these options below. :-)
VERSE MACRONS. Here is the verse text with macrons:
Cum fueret aestas immodica, suam duae
Palūdem Rānae siccātam relīquerant,
Inopēsque circum errābant quaerentēs aquam.
Ad puteum tandem dēveniunt; utque ūberī
Illum scatēre aquārum cōpiā vident,
Perhibēre cupiunt, ūnaque: Hūc age, Ō soror,
Quīn, inquit, saltū mittimus corpuscula?
Sed altera: hic sī puteus āruerit quoque,
Inde remeāre quō valēbimus modo?
Itus est imprūdēns, dē reditū sī nōn liquet.
PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Cum aestas immodica fueret, Rānae duae palūdem suam siccātam relīquerant, et inopēs circum errābant, aquam quaerentēs. Tandem ad puteum dēveniunt; et, ut vident illum scatēre cōpiā aquārum ūberī, perhibēre cupiunt, et ūna inquit: Ō soror, hūc age; quīn saltū corpuscula mittimus? Sed altera: Sī hic puteus quoque āruerit, quō modo inde remeāre valēbimus? Itus imprūdēns est, sī dē reditū nōn liquet.
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):
Cum aestas immódica fúeret, Ranae duae palúdem suam siccátam relíquerant, et ínopes circum errábant, aquam quaeréntes. Tandem ad púteum devéniunt; et, ut vident illum scatére cópia aquárum úberi, perhibére cúpiunt, et una inquit: O soror, huc age; quin saltu corpúscula míttimus? Sed áltera: Si hic púteus quoque arúerit, quo modo inde remeáre valébimus? Itus imprúdens est, si de réditu non liquet.
IAMBIC METER. Here is the verse text with some color coding to assist in the iambic meter. The disyllabic elements (iambs/spondees) are not marked, but the trisyllabic elements are color-coded: dactyls are red, anapests are purple, and tribrachs are green (as is any proceleusmaticus, although that is a rare creature); for more information, here are some Notes on Iambic Meter.
Cum fue·ret aes·tas im·modica,· suam· duae
Palū·dem Rān·ae sic·cātam· relī·querant,
Inopēs·que cir·c~ errā·bant quae·rentēs· aquam.
Ad pute·um tan·dem dē·veniunt;· utqu~ ū·berī
Illum· scatē·r~ aquā·rum cō·piā· vident,
Perhibē·re cupi·unt, ū·naqu~ Hūc· ag~ Ō· soror,
Quīn, in·quit, sal·tū mit·timus· corpus·cula?
Sed al·ter~ hic· sī pute·us ā·ruerit· quoque,
Inde re·meā·re quō· valē·bimus· modo?
Itus est· imprū·dēns, dē· reditū· sī nōn· liquet.
IMAGE. Here is an illustration from the Medici Aesop, which is online at the New York Public Library website.
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Cum aestas immodica fueret, Ranae duae paludem suam siccatam reliquerant, et inopes circum errabant, aquam quaerentes. Tandem ad puteum deveniunt; et, ut vident illum scatere copia aquarum uberi, perhibere cupiunt, et una inquit: O soror, huc age; quin saltu corpuscula mittimus? Sed altera: Si hic puteus quoque aruerit, quo modo inde remeare valebimus? Itus imprudens est, si de reditu non liquet.
