The point was made that the end of this poem / song is a bit arrogant. I felt obliged to contradict this.
On the surface the last verse can be interpreted as the arrogance of an artist for unartistic people - he tried to woo with all his cultured skills, but failed because she was a heathen. However, I've a slightly different interpretation of the last verse.
In much of Kavangh's poetry, he talks about his farming background, which he abhors (read his poem Stony Grey Soil and you'll get the idea). I believe in Raglan Road when he talks of "a creature made of clay " he is referring to himself and not to the woman he loves.
He tried to woo "not as I should", he being "a creature made of clay" and the woman he tried to woo something much more than this - the references to "old ghosts", "the angel", "Queen of Hearts", and "the enchanted way" implying her being of the non-clay, mythical variety.
The last line of the poem, can be interpreted as the antithesis of his situation. For an angel to attempt to woo a human (clay), it would lose its most prized possession - its wings. He is not an angel (as some of this site's contributors have been more than happy to elaborate on), whereas he sees her as one. Because he tried to woo not of his kind (ie an angel), he must also face a great loss - a life of torment and anguish - the poor bugger.
Thanks.
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-Joe Offer-
sj