Religious devotion
The virgin refuses to have sex with the narrator because she has made a religious commitment. It is unclear whether or not she belongs to a convent currently, but she certainly wants to belong to one if she does not already. Because of her Christian faith, she will not yield to the man's advances. She is tempted, however, and appeals to the Virgin Mary to help her to continue resisting him. Throughout the text, her virginity is connected with her religious conviction.
Sexual desire
The narrator desires this girl. He's gradually consumed by this desire, to the point where he doesn't think he will ever recover from her rejection of him. With all conversational tact, he begs the virgin to have sex with him because she needs to know how good he his. Confident in his sexual prowess, he believes that she will forget any former convictions if she would only allow him to demonstrate his skill. When she refuses for the last time, she seals his fate. He is a slave to this passion, unable to think about anything else. This leads him to a dark place in his mind.
Soulmates at the mercy of fate
The narrator discusses his belief about soulmates. He thinks that God created a soulmate for each person, which means they are all incomplete of themselves. The inherent danger with this system is that, if the two never meet, then they will both never achieve their full potential in life. Fated either to meet or not, each person cannot control their ultimate fulfillment. Fate, then, either shows mercy on a person and unites them with their better half or denies them this satisfaction for no meaningful reason. This ideology allows the narrator to pity himself and remove himself from any responsibility in his rejection by the virgin. She was the one, he thought, but fate wouldn't allow them to be together.
Shame
Over the course of the poem the narrator struggles with two types of shame. Firstly, he tries to persuade the virgin to have sex with him, but she rejects him. This rejection deeply wounds his pride because he thinks he's sexually attractive and talented, so she should've been honored that he chose her. Blinded by pride, he cannot believe her commitment to purity. He's embarrassed by her. The second kind of shame is internally. After being rejected, he tries to control his sexual desire. Unable to resist the girl, however, he realizes that he is merely a slave to his own impulses. This realization leads to a deeper, more existential shame in his soul. Wanting to be master of his own fate, he is not.
