Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Rosa et Amaranthus (Dana)

SOURCE: Liber Primus, by Joseph Dana (1832) at GoogleBooks. For more information and other versions of this fable, see the links list for Perry 369.

READ OUT LOUD. Choose which marked text you prefer to practice with - macrons or accent marks - and read the text out loud until you feel comfortable and confident. Then, try reading the unmarked text at the bottom. It should be easy for you after practicing with the marked texts. :-)


MACRONS. Here is the text with macrons:

Iuxtā rosam ēnātus fuerat amaranthus: hanc ergō ille admīrātur et beātam praedicat, quae aspectū adeō pulchra esset, hominibusque pariter ac diīs honōrāta, nōn minus ob odōrem quam formam. Cui illa: Egō quidem, Ō amaranthe, ad breve tempus flōreō vīvōque, et licet mē nemō dēcerpet, mea tamen species decōra cito interit: tuae vērō venustātis ēlegantia perennis semperque eadem.



ACCENT MARKS. Here is the text with ecclesiastical accents, plus some color-coding for the words of three or more syllables (blue: penultimate stress; red: antepenultimate stress):

Iuxta rosam enátus fúerat amaránthus: hanc ergo ille admirátur et beátam praédicat, quae aspéctu ádeo pulchra esset, hominibúsque páriter ac diis honoráta, non minus ob odórem quam formam. Cui illa: Ego quidem, O amaránthe, ad breve tempus flóreo vivóque, et licet me nemo decérpet, mea tamen spécies decóra cito ínterit: tuae vero venustátis elegántia perénnis sempérque éadem.



UNMARKED TEXT. Here is the unmarked text - after practicing with the marked text that you prefer, you should not have any trouble with the unmarked text:

Iuxta rosam
enatus fuerat amaranthus:
hanc ergo
ille admiratur
et beatam praedicat,
quae aspectu adeo pulchra esset,
hominibusque pariter ac diis honorata,
non minus ob odorem
quam formam.
Cui illa:
Ego quidem, O amaranthe,
ad breve tempus floreo vivoque,
et licet me nemo decerpet,
mea tamen species decora
cito interit:
tuae vero venustatis elegantia
perennis semperque eadem.



IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) showing a withered rose: