DiotimosReading Desk

Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Bilingual Edition

Joseph Joubert

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I

Complete Notebooks · French with an independent English translation.

Explore the Lexicon
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume IYEAR 1793 · Entry 353

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

Facing Pages · Branch 353 of 3781

YEAR 1793 · Entry 353

Book Mode

French

p. 705

[1793.]

...Et se précipiter dans la mort comme dans un fleuve où s’engloutissent tous les soins et où l’on boit l’oubli des maux.

705

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I: YEAR 1793

p. 706

[1793.]

... And to plunge into death as into a river in which all cares are swallowed up and one drinks oblivion of ills.

706

About This Reading Edition

Joubert’s notebooks return to the work of thinking and writing, the demands of friendship, and questions of faith, beauty and conduct. This edition pairs the French with a new English translation, preserving the order of the chosen source and the unfinished character of its fragments. Dates and source references allow readers to follow a thought through time or return to its printed context.

Historical Text and Translation

The French text follows André Beaunier’s 1938 edition of Les Carnets de Joseph Joubert, published by Gallimard from Joubert’s autograph manuscripts. Volume I presents the entries on printed pages 32–475. French and English are aligned paragraph by paragraph, retaining the source order, printed dates and page references so readers can return to the facsimile.

About Diotimos Editions

Diotimos Editions prepared this new English translation directly from the French, preserving Joubert’s distinctions, recurring images, ambiguities and unfinished thoughts. Translator’s notes clarify wording, references and uncertain readings: Essential keeps notes that help explain a passage, while All includes technical detail. Annotations from the 1938 source edition remain distinct from the new translator’s notes.

Rights

The linked facsimile records identify the French source as public domain in the United States. The new English translation and editorial notes are © 2026 Diotimos, with source annotations and new editorial contributions credited separately. This edition pairs the complete French notebooks with an independent English translation, preserving the distinction between Joubert’s text and its accompanying notes.