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:
Tū cūr ōva locō paris ūnō Pīca Columbae,
Exclūdīque solent hīc ea semper, ait?An nōn ipsa parās prūdentior esse rapīnīs,
Quās hominum furtō cōgeris usque patī?Mē mea simplicitās (perhibent dīxisse Columbam)
Impedit, haec patiēns tālia furta ferō.Simplicitās haud ipsa nocēns obnoxia fraudī est,
Quam tamen indignē nōn ea ferre solet.PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Pīca Columbae ait: Cūr tū locō ūnō ōva paris, et semper hīc ea exclūdī solent? An nōn prūdentior ipsa parās esse rapīnīs, quās hominum furtō usque patī cōgeris? Perhibent Columbam dīxisse: Simplicitās mea mē impedit; haec tālia furta patiēns ferō. simplicitās ipsa, haud nocēns, fraudī obnoxia est, quam tamen ea nōn indignē ferre solet.
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):
Pica Colúmbae ait: Cur tu loco uno ova paris, et semper hic ea exclúdi solent? An non prudéntior ipsa paras esse rapínis, quas hóminum furto usque pati cógeris? Pérhibent Colúmbam dixísse: Simplícitas mea me ímpedit; haec tália furta pátiens fero. Simplícitas ipsa, haud nocens, fraudi obnóxia est, quam tamen ea non indígne ferre solet.
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.
Tū cūr ·ōva lo·cō paris ·ūnō· Pīca Co·lumbae,
Exclū·dīque so·lent || hīc ea ·semper, a·it?An nōn ·ipsa pa·rās prū·dentior· esse ra·pīnīs,
Quās homi·num fur·tō || cōgeris ·usque pa·tī?Mē mea ·simplici·tās (perhi·bent dīx·isse Co·lumbam)
Impedit, ·haec pati·ēns || tālia ·furta fe·rō.Simplici·tās haud· ipsa no·cēns ob·noxia ·fraud~ est,
Quam tamen· indig·nē || nōn ea· ferre so·let.IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source), showing a dove in her nest:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Pica Columbae ait: Cur tu loco uno ova paris, et semper hic ea excludi solent? An non prudentior ipsa paras esse rapinis, quas hominum furto usque pati cogeris? Perhibent Columbam dixisse: Simplicitas mea me impedit; haec talia furta patiens fero. simplicitas ipsa, haud nocens, fraudi obnoxia est, quam tamen ea non indigne ferre solet.
