Phantoms

Whenever I think I fully
Understand mankind’s purpose on Earth,
 Just when I fully imagine
That I have seized upon the meaning of Life…..

Suddenly I see phantoms mocking me in the shadows,
Mysterious Phantoms performing a gavotte that says,
As pointedly as words, “What you know is nothing, little man;
“What you have to learn is immense.

When I think that I know my purpose in life,
Phantoms dance on my delusion, and trample what I have done.
My realization is how little I know, how little I have done.
I have not gone far, and I have much to do.

How can I escape this Phantom as life flies by?
What can appease the Phantoms that steal my sleep?
Where will I be when life’s show is over?
Can I applaud as I leave the stage of my mind?