Your days seem poor? Be poet enough to call up their riches.

What it means

Rilke says no place is poor for someone who creates. If your everyday life looks dull, the fault is in your seeing. Look harder and the riches appear.

The source

"Your days seem poor? Be poet enough to call up their riches." Rainer Maria Rilke said it in Letters to a Young Poet, Letter 1 (Paris, 17 February 1903). Translated from the original German by Spartan Surfers.

"Wenn Ihr Alltag Ihnen arm scheint, klagen Sie ihn nicht an; klagen Sie sich an, sagen Sie sich, daß Sie nicht Dichter genug sind, seine Reichtümer zu rufen"

Original German, Letters to a Young Poet, Letter 1 (Paris, 17 February 1903). Text read at mybook.ru.

Who said it

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926). Poet born in Prague who wrote in German. Letters to a Young Poet (1929) collects ten letters he sent to a young cadet who asked if his poems were any good.

Questions

What does "Your days seem poor? Be poet enough to call up their riches." mean?

Rilke says no place is poor for someone who creates. If your everyday life looks dull, the fault is in your seeing. Look harder and the riches appear.

Who said "Your days seem poor? Be poet enough to call up their riches."?

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926). Source: Letters to a Young Poet, Letter 1 (Paris, 17 February 1903).

What is the original German?

Wenn Ihr Alltag Ihnen arm scheint, klagen Sie ihn nicht an; klagen Sie sich an, sagen Sie sich, daß Sie nicht Dichter genug sind, seine Reichtümer zu rufen. Translated from the original German by Spartan Surfers.

Is "Your days seem poor? Be poet enough to call up their riches." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"Your days seem poor? Be poet enough to call up their riches." (Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, Letter 1 (Paris, 17 February 1903), translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/your-days-seem-poor-be-poet-enough-to