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

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 1815 · Entry 7349

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English Page · Branch 3568 of 4529

YEAR 1815 · Entry 7349

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 7135

[…] mars.

Ménager le vent aux têtes françaises et le choisir, car tous les vents […]s font tourner. Des moussons ou des vents réglés. Du vent qui a […]ufflé constamment pendant dix siècles. Au surplus les idées qui […]vorisent les passions en mouvement sont toujours celles qui prédo[…]inent. Et pour attaquer ces idées, il faut attaquer ces passions.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1815

p. 7136

March […].

To be sparing of wind with French heads, and choose it, for all winds turn [them]. Monsoons or regular winds. Wind that has [blown] constantly for ten centuries. Moreover, the ideas that [favor] passions in motion are always those that [predominate]. And to attack these ideas, one must attack these passions.

T174.The initial infinitives, choosing/sparing relation, all winds and turning heads keep the extended wind image. Both subsequent wind formulations remain fragments; constant blowing and ten centuries are not expanded into a verified historical claim. Always, the final And, repeated attack and obligation remain. The clipped March day is not inferred. [Them], [blown], [favor] and [predominate] contextually complete […]s, […]ufflé, […]vorisent and prédo[…]inent. The day remains wholly unreadable rather than a guessed complete digit.

T538.The day retains only a narrow right-hand lobed fragment. Its missing left contour prevents certifying a complete 3 or excluding another digit, so the numerical day remains wholly unreadable. The damaged openings retain s, ufflé, vorisent and inent after prédo-. The preceding l/e, s/o, f/a and incomplete m are not restored. The surviving u/v/i shapes remain qualified identifiable despite abrasion. Ménager retains its complete foreground M/accent. The initial paired infinitives, all-vents clause, alternative moussons, nominal wind phrase, constant ten-century duration, always, repeated ideas/passions and final obligation remain. The small faint mark after dix does not establish a printed call or new punctuation. All text is roman.

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.