The poem "The Sound of the Sea" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow uses auditory imagery of the sounds of the sea and nature to represent the subtle nature of human inspiration. Through descriptive sounds like "pebbly beaches" and the "tide's uninterrupted sweep", Longfellow conveys how inspiration is present but cannot be consciously controlled. While the speaker hears the sounds of the waves, inspiration remains elusive yet perceptible like the sea, visible only through its sound.