Il capraio innamorato dell' idillio III di Teocrito e di Un sogno tra i flutti di Al. Papadiamandis : analogie e differenze strutturali di un paradigma bucolico

It is useful to compare Theocritus' Idyll 3 with Alexandros Papadiamandis' tale A Dream among the waters (“Oneiro sto; kuvma) published in the year 1900. The Alexandrian poet depicts an anonymous goatherd who sings his love for Amaryllis, an unruly girl. In his serenade, he evokes a catalogue of various mythical examples. At this respect, Papadiamandis' verism (ethography) provides a clear example of long-dating Bucolic tradition: the protagonist of the story remembers when he watched the flock of a monastery in his native island. At that time, he was a young boy and fell in love with a girl named Moschoula that he identified with his favourite goat.

Theocritus' and Papadiamandis' shepherds live in contact with nature, their loving passion allows them to overlap between their personal experience and a privileged status as storytellers on love. In contrast to Hellenistic poem, feelings of guilt and the regret for the lost innocence mark the Dream among the waters. However, it is undeniable that this tale is inspired in by the vibrant cultural heritage of pastoral tradition according to Bucolic and classic models. [Publisher's text]