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 (note the long o in decore for scansion):
Vulpe gerente famem corvum gerit arbor et escam
Ōre gerēns corvus vulpe loquente silet.Corve decore decēns, cygnum candōre peraequās.
Sī cantū placeās, plūs ave quāque placēs.Credit avis pictaeque placent praelūdia linguae.
Dum canit ut placeat, cāseus ōre cadit.Hōc fruitur vulpes, insurgunt taedia corvō.
Asperat in mediō damna dolōre pudor.Fellītum patitur rīsum, quem mellit inānis
Glōria; vēra parit taedia falsus honor. PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Arbor corvum gerit, vulpe famem gerente, et, ōre escam gerēns, corvus silet, vulpe loquente: Corve, decore decēns, candōre cygnum peraequās. Sī cantū placeās, plūs ave quāque placēs. Avis credit et linguae pictae praelūdia placent. Dum canit ut placeat, cāseus ōre cadit. Vulpes hōc fruitur; taedia corvō insurgunt. In mediō dolōre, pudor damna asperat . Rīsum fellītum patitur, quem glōria inānis mellit; honor falsus taedia vēra parit.
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):
Arbor corvum gerit, vulpe famem gerénte, et, ore escam gerens, corvus silet, vulpe loquénte: Corve, décore decens, candóre cygnum peraéquas. Si cantu pláceas, plus ave quaque places. Avis credit et linguae pictae praelúdia placent. Dum canit ut pláceat, cáseus ore cadit. Vulpes hoc frúitur; taédia corvo insúrgunt. In médio dolóre, pudor damna ásperat . Risum fellítum pátitur, quem glória inánis mellit; honor falsus taédia vera parit.
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.
Vulpe ge·rente fa·mem cor·vum gerit· arbor et· escam
Ōre ge·rēns cor·vus || vulpe lo·quente si·let.Corve de·core de·cēns, cyg·num can·dōre per·aequās.
Sī can·tū place·ās, || plūs ave· quāque pla·cēs.Credit a·vis pic·taeque pla·cent prae·lūdia· linguae.
Dum canit· ut place·at, || cāseus· ōre ca·dit.Hōc frui·tur vul·pes, in·surgunt· taedia· corvō.
Asperat· in medi·ō || damna do·lōre pu·dor.Fellī·tum pati·tur rī·sum, quem· mellit i·nānis
Glōria;· vēra pa·rit || taedia· falsus ho·nor.IMAGE. Here is the illustration of the fable by Aractingy:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Arbor corvum gerit, vulpe famem gerente, et, ore escam gerens, corvus silet, vulpe loquente: Corve, decore decens, candore cygnum peraequas. Si cantu placeas, plus ave quaque places. Avis credit et linguae pictae praeludia placent. Dum canit ut placeat, caseus ore cadit. Vulpes hoc fruitur; taedia corvo insurgunt. In medio dolore, pudor damna asperat . Risum fellitum patitur, quem gloria inanis mellit; honor falsus taedia vera parit.
