Ninth wave in art and poetry

A little over three years ago, I once blogged about Ninth wave theory. Little did I know that "ninth wave" has been an artistic and literary substance in Russia. I just came across this fabulous Tanais Gallery web site that shows the 1850 painting "The ninth wave" by Russian Artist Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900):


The painting is in the St. Petersburg's State Russian Musium. The Tanais site also included this poem by the Russian poet Fyodor TuTchev (1803-1873):

Fyodor Tutchev. May 11, 1865.

In ocean waves there's melody
There's harmony within the clash of elements,
And a harmonious tuneful whisper
Streams through the rippling rushes.
There's unperturbable order everywhere,
Full consonance in nature,
And only our illusory freedom
Is out of tune with her.
Whence, how did this dischord arise?
And why, amidst the universal chorus,
Do human souls not sing as does the sea,
Why does the sentient reed sigh?
And from the earth unto the highest stars
Unanswered to this very day
A voice lamenting in the wilderness,
The soul protests despairingly?
(Translated by Athena)

So it appears long before the scientists become absorbed in learning freaque waves in the latter part of 20th century, Russian artist and poet had already enthralled by the phenomena over a century earlier.