The speaker has committed some small sin and tries hard to feel properly sorry. She imagines her Sorrow and Sin as little companions, locks herself in a gloomy room, and tells them to weep and pray while she lies on the floor thinking about how bad she has been. But the performance falls apart: her Sorrow won’t cry, her Sin falls asleep, and her mind refuses to stay on repentance. Frustrated, she gets up, grabs a book, puts a ribbon in her hair to attract a passing boy, and announces that since she can’t manage to be sorry, she might as well be glad. The poem is light, witty, and self-mocking. It makes fun of dramatic guilt and ends with cheerful defiance rather than real remorse.
The Penitent — Summary
I had a little Sorrow, Born of a little Sin, I found a room all damp with gloom And shut us all within; And, "Little Sorrow, weep," said I, "And, Little Sin, pray God to die, And I upon the floor will lie And think how bad I've been!"
Alas for pious planning-- It mattered not a whit! As far as gloom went in that room, The lamp might have been lit! My little Sorrow would not weep, My little Sin would go to sleep-- To save my soul I could not keep My graceless mind on it!
So up I got in anger, And took a book I had, And put a ribbon on my hair To please a passing lad, And, "One thing there's no getting by-- I've been a wicked girl," said I; "But if I can't be sorry, why, I might as well be glad!"