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Joseph Joubert

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II

Name: The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II
Author: Joseph Joubert

Complete Notebooks · French with an independent English translation.

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The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume IIYEAR 1808 · Entry 5514

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English Page · Branch 1733 of 4529

YEAR 1808 · Entry 5514

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 3465

Il faut donner pour exemples aux enfans des phrazes où l’accord entre l’adjectif et le substantif soit non seulement grammatical mais moral, comme « le temple saint ». Mais, si vous disiez « le voleur malheureux », l’accord ne seroit pas moral, parce qu’il faut mettre à côté du délit l’idée du châtiment et non celle de l’infortune. Le même accord moral doit se trouver entre le nominatif et le verbe. « Les soldats courageux aiment la guerre. » Ce régime n’est pas moral. Il associe et lie inséparablement à l’idée de la bravoure celle de l’attaque et de la querelle. Mais si vous disiez : « Les soldats courageux aiment la victoire et non le carnage », le régime seroit moral. Car vous associez alors dans la tête qui la reçoit l’idée du courage avec celle de la haine qu’il faut avoir pour la destruction inutile. Et vous dites la vérité, et vous donnez une leçon. L’épithète est un jugement et le plus insinuant de tous car il se glisse avec le mot. Et si rien n’est plus important que les idées saines, rien n’est plus important aussi que cet accord que je demande entre l’adjectif et le substantif, entre le verbe et le régime. L’emploi des particules et des adverbes a aussi sa moralité. J’en alléguerai des exemples : « Les soldats courageux, etc., mais ils détestent le carnage... »

Voici quelques épithètes à fuir : « un enfant amoureux, un vieillard imbécile, un père avare, une mère galante »; quoique l’expérience et la censure authorise[nt] quelque fois entre les hommes de telles associations, il seroit affreux d’y accoutumer les jeunes esprits.

Il y a d’autres associations d’adjectif et de substantif qui sont innocents mais pénibles et qu’il faut exclure de ces premiers exemples parce qu’elles attristent en quelque sorte la mémoire; comme « les oiseaux de la mer » : dites « les poissons de la mer ». Dites « les oiseaux des bocages, les fleurs des champs et les légumes des jardins ». Enfin mettez tout à sa place dans l’esprit en laissant tout à sa place dans le monde. « Les buissons des collines » vaudroient mieux aussi que « les oiseaux des collines », car ce n’est pas là que les oiseaux se plaisent le mieux. C’est là que les buissons se réfugient. C’est là qu’on aime à les trouver, car ils parent l’aridité, ils en sont la richesse, comme ils sont la pauvreté d’un sol fertile. Enfin montrez en toutes choses l’ordre et vous serez en même temps agréable et utile.

« Trop peu pieux » vaut mieux en exemple que « trop pieux ». Et, dans l’attribution ou attraction, « indocile et insupportable » est bien; « indocile et aimable » ne conviendroit pas. Enfin, « de his quæ inter se male cohærent ».

Je dirai donc à ces feseurs de thèmes : — Joignez toujours aux substantifs des adjectifs qui expriment l’idée et le sentiment qu’il faut avoir de chaque chose.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1808

p. 3466

Children must be given examples of sentences in which the agreement between adjective and noun is not only grammatical but moral, as in “the holy temple.” But if you said “the unfortunate thief,” the agreement would not be moral, because beside the offense one must place the idea of punishment and not that of misfortune. The same moral agreement must be found between the nominative and the verb. “Courageous soldiers love war.” This grammatical relation is not moral. It associates and inseparably binds the idea of bravery with that of attack and quarrel. But if you said, “Courageous soldiers love victory and not carnage,” the relation would be moral. For then, in the mind that receives it, you associate the idea of courage with that of the hatred one must have for useless destruction. And you speak the truth, and you give a lesson. The epithet is a judgment, and the most insinuating of all, for it slips in with the word. And if nothing is more important than sound ideas, nothing is more important, too, than this agreement I ask for between adjective and noun, between verb and its object. The use of particles and adverbs also has its morality. I shall adduce examples: “Courageous soldiers, etc., but they detest carnage...”

Here are some epithets to avoid: “a child in love, a feeble-minded old man, a miserly father, an amorous mother”; although experience and censure sometimes warrant such associations among people, it would be dreadful to accustom young minds to them.

There are other associations of adjective and noun that are innocent but painful and must be excluded from these first examples because they sadden the memory in some way; as in “the birds of the sea”: say “the fish of the sea.” Say “the birds of the groves, the flowers of the fields, and the vegetables of the gardens.” In short, put everything in its place in the mind by leaving everything in its place in the world. “The bushes of the hills” would also be better than “the birds of the hills,” for that is not where birds most delight to be. It is there that bushes take refuge. It is there that we like to find them, for they adorn the aridity, they are its wealth, just as they are the poverty of a fertile soil. In short, show order in all things and you will be at once agreeable and useful.

“Too little pious” is a better example than “too pious.” And, in attribution or attraction, “undisciplined and unbearable” is good; “undisciplined and lovable” would not be fitting. In short, “of things that cohere ill with one another.”

I shall therefore say to these makers of translation exercises: — Always join nouns with adjectives that express the idea and the feeling one ought to have about each thing.

T28.The nominative remains the grammatical nominative. Régime is rendered grammatical relation in the examples, a contextual reading of the linkage established by the verb and its object; the period grammatical term can designate the dependent word or object itself. In the final pairing verbe et régime, it is rendered object. Epithet means a qualifying expression in this discussion of adjectives, not necessarily an insult. The distinctions between bravery, courage, attack, quarrel, victory, and carnage remain. The final quoted example abbreviates its opening with etc. and ends in an ellipsis.

T452.All five physical paragraphs remain in one undated source block; paragraph 3 continues across 637–638. Phrazes, authorise[nt], quelque fois and feseurs retain their printed forms; the letters nt are supplied in source square brackets. The masculine plural innocents remains beside feminine associations. The quoted grammatical examples retain their own punctuation and capitalization. No moral assertion is silently modernized. The printed distinction between nominatif/verbe and verbe/régime remains. Short underline-like traces occur beneath several roman words in the facsimile; they are not treated as printed italics. The Latin alone is visibly italic within paragraph 4, with printed æ ligatures.

T29.Amorous renders galante in the example of the mother, reflecting the period feminine sense associated with love affairs rather than merely polite conduct. Feeble-minded retains the description of impaired understanding in imbécile. The source editor supplies only nt in authorise[nt]; English warrant has no corresponding added plural ending, so those brackets are recorded here rather than attached to a whole English word. The moral evaluations belong to Joubert.

T30.The French retains masculine innocents beside feminine associations; English innocent does not reproduce grammatical gender. Memory stays singular, and the bushes retain their refuge, adornment, wealth, and poverty. The paragraph continues across pages 637–638 without division.

T31.Too little pious keeps the unusual comparative form of trop peu pieux beside trop pieux. Attribution or attraction retains both printed terms without silently substituting one for the other. Of things that cohere ill with one another translates the italic Latin de his quæ inter se male cohærent; the English translation carries the same emphasis.

T32.Translation exercises renders thèmes in the pedagogical context of phrases given to children. No particular destination language is supplied. Idea and feeling remain distinct objects of instruction.

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 II continues the notebooks and includes seventy undated pieces. 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.