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:
Sīmia, purpureō quae cōmēbātur amictū,
Haec ubi saltandī docta fuisset opus.Iamque vidērētur crēbrō didicisse sat ūsū,
Est prōducta, suae nōn rudis artis erat.Sed saltante nucēs hāc quīdam spargit, ad illās
Sē cito neglectīs omnibus illa refert.Nīl, omnem cūram licet experiāris et artēs,
Nātūrae vitiīs quō medeāris, erit.PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Sīmia, quae amictū purpureō cōmēbātur, ubi haec saltandī opus docta fuisset. Iamque ūsū crēbrō sat didicisse vidērētur, prōducta est, suae artis nōn rudis erat. Sed, hāc saltante, quīdam nucēs spargit, illa cito sē refert ad nucēs, omnibus neglectīs. Licet cūram omnem et artēs experiāris, nīl erit quō nātūrae vitiīs medeāris.
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):
Símia, quae amíctu purpúreo comebátur, ubi haec saltándi opus docta fuísset. Iamque usu crebro sat didicísse viderétur, prodúcta est, suae artis non rudis erat. Sed, hac saltánte, quidam nuces spargit, illa cito se refert ad nuces, ómnibus negléctis. Licet curam omnem et artes experiáris, nil erit quo natúrae vítiis medeáris.
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.
Sīmia, ·purpure·ō quae· cōmē·bātur a·mictū,
Haec ubi ·saltan·dī || docta fu·isset o·pus.Iamque vi·dērē·tur crē·brō didi·cisse sat· ūsū,
Est prō·ducta, su·ae || nōn rudis ·artis e·rat.Sed sal·tante nu·cēs hāc· quīdam· spargit, ad ·illās
Sē cito· neglec·tīs || omnibus· illa re·fert.Nīl, om·nem cū·ram licet· experi·āris et ·artēs,
Nātū·rae viti·īs || quō mede·āris, e·rit.IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source), showing a dancing monkey:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Simia, quae amictu purpureo comebatur, ubi haec saltandi opus docta fuisset. Iamque usu crebro sat didicisse videretur, producta est, suae artis non rudis erat. Sed, hac saltante, quidam nuces spargit, illa cito se refert ad nuces, omnibus neglectis. Licet curam omnem et artes experiaris, nil erit quo naturae vitiis medearis.
