I appreciate the work of translators so much—they bring beauty to those of us who would otherwise miss so much of the world’s light. This poem seems particularly relevant now, and its vivid imagery and skilled use of alliteration stirring. I hope you find it as comforting as I did.
For the first prompt, write a poem or short story in which the passage of time for the speaker is indicated by a recurring natural event: rain, as in this poem; sunset; the blooming of a particular flower; or perhaps the last leaf falling.
The second prompt is a longer process. First, make a list of five locations and five moments of intense change. Look at both lists and see which pair intrigues you and describe the location in as much sensory detail as you can remember. Now gradually change the details as the story or poem progresses: perhaps the light pattering rain becomes a downpour that transforms into raining spiders (this does happen in Brazil and others parts of the world) and eventually becomes a raining of all your (or your character’s) fears.
The third prompt is to write a poem or story with the following list of words: “candles,” “brocade,” “thatched,” “temples,” “skiff,” “buffeted,” “calling,” “speckled,” “reunions” and “dawn.”
The last is a writing exercise: rewrite the poem, replacing all the nouns in the poem with your own; afterward, choose the revised line you like best and write a story or poem with that line as your jumping off point.
I sometimes prefer the world somewhat blurry, softening the harsh outlines and divisions like an Impressionist painting. For your bonus prompt, take an image and move the narrative away until it blurs into the rest of the scene and everything seems to belong in harmony.
Have fun writing! Good luck!