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 shortened o in premo, pungo; this is especially common in medieval Latin verse):
Mūla rapit cursum, nam mūlam mūlio cōgit.
Mūlae Musca nocet vulnere sīve minīs:Cūr pede sōpītō cursum tempusque morāris?
Tē premo, tē pungo; pessima, curre levis.Mūla refert: Quia magna sonās, vīs magna vidērī.
Nec tua facta nocent, nec tua verba mihi.Nec tē sustineō, sed eum, quem sustinet axis,
Quī mea frēna tenet, quī mea terga ferit.Audet in audācem timidus, fortīque minātur
Dēbilis, audendī dum videt esse locum. PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Mūla cursum rapit, nam mūlio mūlam cōgit. Musca mūlae nocet vulnere sīve minīs: Cūr pede sōpītō cursum et tempus morāris? Tē premō, tē pungō; pessima, levis curre! Mūla refert: Quia magna sonās, magna vidērī vīs. Nec tua facta, nec tua verba mihi nocent; nec tē sustineō, sed eum, quem axis sustinet, quī mea frēna tenet, quī mea terga ferit. Timidus in audācem audet et dēbilis fortī minātur, dum videt locum audendī esse.
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):
Mula cursum rapit, nam múlio mulam cogit. Musca mulae nocet vúlnere sive minis: Cur pede sopíto cursum et tempus moráris? Te premo, te pungo; péssima, levis curre! Mula refert: Quia magna sonas, magna vidéri vis. Nec tua facta, nec tua verba mihi nocent; nec te sustíneo, sed eum, quem axis sústinet, qui mea frena tenet, qui mea terga ferit. Tímidus in audácem audet et débilis forti minátur, dum videt locum audéndi esse.
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.
Mūla ra·pit cur·sum, nam· mūlam· mūlio· cōgit.
Mūlae· Musca no·cet || vulnere· sīve mi·nīs:Cūr pede· sōpī·tō cur·sum tem·pusque mo·rāris?
Tē premo,· tē pun·go; || pessima,· curre le·vis.Mūla re·fert: Quia· magna so·nās, vīs· magna vi·dērī.
Nec tua· facta no·cent, || nec tua· verba mi·hi.Nec tē· sustine·ō, sed e·um, quem· sustinet· axis,
Quī mea· frēna te·net, || quī mea· terga fe·rit.Audet in· audā·cem timi·dus, for·tīque mi·nātur
Dēbilis,· auden·dī || dum videt· esse lo·cum.IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source).
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Mula cursum rapit, nam mulio mulam cogit. Musca mulae nocet vulnere sive minis: Cur pede sopito cursum et tempus moraris? Te premo, te pungo; pessima, levis curre! Mula refert: Quia magna sonas, magna videri vis. Nec tua facta, nec tua verba mihi nocent; nec te sustineo, sed eum, quem axis sustinet, qui mea frena tenet, qui mea terga ferit. Timidus in audacem audet et debilis forti minatur, dum videt locum audendi esse.
