Sarah turns two
In its second year, 'The Life of H' is well into its second act! Today I've got a Timeline and a Table of Contents for you! (I'll have more verses for you as soon as I finish celebrating!)
An evolving timeline
Two years ago, in March of 2023 I launched this publication, The Life of H: Sarah, Reimagined.
And now, two years later, I’ve completed a manuscript of poems that center Sarah in the story, thus rebalancing, reclaiming and restoring the feminine truths, power, and dignity to an otherwise patriarchal narrative.
But I’m not done!
I hope one day to publish the poetry manuscript, which contains many of the poems you’ve read here and more. I can’t wait to see The Life of H: Sarah, Reimagined published as a book that you can hold in your hands!
In the meantime, Sarah just keeps evolving! The next chapter in my story and Sarah’s is for me to complete my next project: A poetic and restorative translation of her story that imbues it with new layers of meaning.
But before we push farther forward, let’s pause at this 2-year milestone and …
Let’s take a look at what’s happened in the past year-plus.
Here’s a brief timeline:
January 2024
I enrolled in a Biblical Hebrew Certification Course through the Jewish Theological Seminary so I could translate Sarah’s story for myself.
I judiciously decided to wait to complete the course before beginning the massive undertaking of translating over a hundred verses from an ancient language I had only the most rudimentary knowledge of, into poetic English.
That was a good plan, except …
August 2024
As it turns out, impatience beat out reason.
So, although I was just learning to gracelessly dog paddle through the language, I decided to dive right in and start my own translation.
(If you know me, you know that this is pretty much my M.O: My enthusiasm for a new endeavor often overrides my practical intentions.)
So, late that summer, less than halfway through my studies, I announced here my intention to not only translate Sarah’s story, but to publish the verses here, as I completed them.
September 2024
Speaking of diving into the middle of things, I started translating Sarah’s story with Genesis Chapter 18 — despite the fact that her story begins at the end of Genesis Chapter 11.
Why? Excellent question!
Honestly, I don’t remember. But …
If I were to make The Life of H: THE MOVIE, the opening scene might well be that dramatic and highly improbable moment in the protagonist’s journey when after years of being promised a child, finally at age 90, she is told by angels that she’ll be a mother within the year. From there we’d flash back to the beginning — to show how Sarah, now a wise old woman, arrived here.
So, yes, I stand by my decision to start in the middle. (It’s also a very good place to start).
March 2025: Looking back and looking ahead
I began this highwire act of translating and sharing with you verse by verse as I went along a year ago, because I wanted to share my enthusiasm and joy, and the treasures I was unearthing in the text with you, my faithful readers! And, I knew that if I shared my overly-ambitious plan with you, I’d have to be accountable to you … and I’d be less likely to give up when the going got rough.
And so far, that plan has been working! As of this today:
I’m about half-way through a rough draft of my poetic translation of Sarah’s story. Or, as my biblical Hebrew teacher, who is both exacting and encouraging, calls it, my “Re-written Torah.”
I’m now about 6 weeks away from completing my biblical Hebrew course!
Sarah, in translation
This translation project is part of the larger mission of The Life of H: Sarah, Reimagined, which seeks to restore the power of the divine feminine to what’s become known and widely accepted as a patriarchal origin story.
(New here? 🌅 Get the big picture here.)
A Table of Contents (in progress)
for a translation (in progress)
I’ve created an ever-evolving Table of Contents for this ongoing translation project to:
guide us all through this process together;
show you the big picture of where we are and where we’re going in Sarah’s story';
let you experience the verses in order;
update and track the progress of the translation.
If you believe in this work and want to support this project, please consider being a paid subscriber (at any price! see options below).
OPTION ONE: Pay the standard price of $40/year
When you subscribe at the standard rate, you receive unfettered access to two better-than-books!
What can be better than a book? A publication includes poems, translations, essays, and access to the author’s notes and musings, and bonus audio and visual content!
PLUS you receive the priceless pleasure of knowing you are helping sustain this translation effort!
Get all that and more when you step up as a paid subscriber for $5/month or get an annual subscription for $
50/yearNOW ONLY $40.
OPTION TWO: Pay-what-you-choose
If you want to get the paid content, but the standard price prevents you, use this link to pay-what-you-choose (no questions asked).
That’s all for now. But stay tuned! As soon as I finish celebrating TWO YEARS OF The Life of H: Sarah, Reimagined 🎉 🎉 🎉 (and now that I’ve got the Table of Contents finished, for the moment anyway) I’ll be free to share more translations with you next time!
Congratulations, Tzivia! What an accomplishment. I’m looking forward to holding this book in my hands one day. 🎉👏🏻🎂
Hello friends,
I've updated the link to the Table of Contents, which was wonky the first time around.
Now you can navigate to the TOC from the post, or just jump to it using this link:
https://open.substack.com/pub/tziviagover/p/heres-the-table-of-contents-in-progress?r=1rzbry&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false