This poem is a discussion of sexual temptation and purity. The text is addressed to a virgin who has offended the narrator with her chastity. Describing a social gathering ended, the narrator is struggling with temptation to have sex with this woman. As the night goes on, both his desire and his frustration increase. Each element of his surroundings reminds him of what a perfect opportunity he has to woo this woman, if only she would consent.
She, however, is resolute, to the point of deep offense. she's described as possessing an iron will to resist his affections. "Forget!" he begs her. Forget your years of religious devotion to purity. Convinced of his own sexual prowess, he tells her that if she would only have sex with him, all of her former commitment to chastity would be worthless and scorned.
His internal struggled intensifies. Rejected by the virgin, the narrator then tries to curb his impulses. He feels like he is being made subject to his desires, unable to master himself. Because of her rejection, he now feels foolish. She's not only embarrassed him but made all other sexual experiences pointless in his eyes. Who is this girl to reject him? She's certainly nothing special, a girl of a simple background and a religious commitment, yet she possesses such a talent for inflicting pain on the male psyche.
As if she were the only woman to exist, the virgin has made herself the unavoidable object of his affections. The scene is set for a beautiful rendezvous, but she is ruining the opportunity by her stubborn refusal. The narrator believes that his self-discipline is waste on her, that she wouldn't even appreciate him in bed after all. Hurting from rejection, he says that he is too sexually satisfying for her; she doesn't deserve him. Better, then, for him to abandon all sexual impulses forever.
He expresses a belief in soulmates. He will never be complete without a better half, and she is the one. How could she be so stubborn as to deny him this once in a lifetime opportunity to complete himself with her? Gradually day breaks, and he accepts his fate. She has pridefully resisted all of his advances, so he must give up. She is, however, sorely tempted. Eventually she begs the Virgin Mary for strength to stand firm in her vow of chastity so as not to jeopardize her future religious pursuits. Seeing her final conclusion, the narrator loathes his weakness. Desire yields nothing but unease, never allowing peace. The man who cannot resist his sexual urges will betray even himself in the end. The poem ends with a warning to stay away from tempting virgins for they will destroy a man as a result of his own passion.
