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:
Conchārum saturōs cum nausea carne tenēret,
Qui struere īnsidiās piscibus arte solent.Relliquiāsque cibī nōn rārās hūius habērent,
Illum Mercuriō praetereunte locum.Hīs epulīs vescī dignētur ut ipse lacessunt,
Quī tamen oblātās rēspuit ēsse dapēs.Nōn ignārus enim quā mente vocētur ut ipsī
Exigit haec condant fercula, sīve vorent.Post sua convīvam nec sē fastīdia poscant,
Haec obiurgātīs verba locūtus abit.Prōdigus haec aliīs ōlim quae nauseat ipse,
Largīrī quamvīs sint pretiōsa, solet.PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Cum nausea carne conchārum tenēret saturōs, qui arte īnsidiās piscibus struere solent. Cibī hūius relliquiās nōn rārās habērent, Mercuriō illum locum praetereunte. Lacessunt ut ipse hīs epulīs vescī dignētur, quī tamen dapēs oblātās ēsse rēspuit, Nōn ignārus enim quā mente vocētur, exigit ut ipsī haec fercula condant, sīve vorent, nec post convīvam fastīdia sua sē poscant; obiurgātīs haec verba locūtus abit. Prōdigus aliīs largīrī solet haec, quamvīs sint pretiōsa, quae ōlim ipse nauseat.
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 naúsea carne conchárum tenéret sáturos, qui arte insídias píscibus struére solent. Cibi huius rellíquias non raras habérent, Mercúrio illum locum praetereúnte. Lacéssunt ut ipse his épulis vesci dignétur, qui tamen dapes oblátas esse réspuit, Non ignárus enim qua mente vocétur, éxigit ut ipsi haec fércula condant, sive vorent, nec post convívam fastídia sua se poscant; obiurgátis haec verba locútus abit. Pródigus áliis largíri solet haec, quamvis sint pretiósa, quae olim ipse naúseat.
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.
Conchā·rum satu·rōs cum· nausea· carne te·nēret,
Qui strue·r~ īnsidi·ās || piscibus ·arte so·lent.Relliqui·āsque ci·bī nōn· rārās· hūius ha·bērent,
Illum ·Mercuri·ō || praetere·unte lo·cum.Hīs epu·līs ves·cī dig·nētur ut· ipse la·cessunt,
Quī tamen ·oblā·tās || rēspuit ·ēsse da·pēs.Nōn ig·nārus e·nim quā· mente vo·cētur ut ·ipsī
Exigit ·haec con·dant || fercula, ·sīve vo·rent.Post sua· convī·vam nec· sē fas·tīdia pos·cant,
Haec ob·iurgā·tīs || verba lo·cūtus a·bit.Prōdigus· haec ali·īs ō·lim quae· nauseat ·ipse,
Largī·rī quam·vīs || sint preti·ōsa, so·let.IMAGE. Here's an illustration for the fable (image source), commonly called the "Mercury dime." You can see why - although this is technically an image of "winged Liberty," it is very easy to mistake the head on this coin for the head of the god Mercury, hence the name. The coin was minted in the US from 1916 through 1945:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Cum nausea carne concharum teneret saturos, qui arte insidias piscibus struere solent. Cibi huius relliquias non raras haberent, Mercurio illum locum praetereunte. Lacessunt ut ipse his epulis vesci dignetur, qui tamen dapes oblatas esse respuit, Non ignarus enim qua mente vocetur, exigit ut ipsi haec fercula condant, sive vorent, nec post convivam fastidia sua se poscant; obiurgatis haec verba locutus abit. Prodigus aliis largiri solet haec, quamvis sint pretiosa, quae olim ipse nauseat.
