Here the speaker tells how he is not important and is merely a tool for the important people. He acknowledges that it is his role in life to serve the important people and stay out of their way. He feels it is not his place to ask existential questions. He also feels that if he were to ask, he would be misunderstood.

From these lines I got the sense that the speaker has given up on trying to change himself and the world. He feels like the presence of death makes a fool of him and he accepts it. He allows the "eternal footman" to snicker at him and the speaker feels afraid but does not fight to change.

To me these lines are asking if one person has the bravery to try and change the universe. The speaker seems to feel hopeless and that he has no control over his own fate. He watches himself grow old. He knows that he is capable of changing how he views the world but he isn't sure if he is brave enough to.