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 1821 · Entry 8146

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English Page · Branch 4365 of 4529

YEAR 1821 · Entry 8146

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 8729

Les « feux follets » et les feux sages; les feux guides ou conducteurs, dont la direction est sûre. On ne les a pas remarqués. C’est qu’ils sont dans le voyageur, et non dans le chemin.

(Voyageur vient de voye, comme qui diroit chemineur, coureur de chemins.)

Le feu appelé électrique a son action sans se montrer. On peut l’obliger à paroître; mais c’est surtout par le moyen d’une substance transparente comme un mot clair.

Entrevoir, c’est voir entre ou à travers. (Entre ou dedans. Introspicit, dit le latin.)

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1821

p. 8730

The “will-o’-the-wisps” and the wise fires; the guiding or conducting fires, whose direction is sure. They have not been noticed. That is because they are in the traveler, and not in the path.

(Voyageur comes from voye, as if one said wayfarer, runner of paths.)

The fire called electrical acts without showing itself. One can compel it to appear; but it is chiefly by means of a transparent substance like a clear word.

Entrevoir is to see entre or through. (Entre or within. Introspicit, says the Latin.)

T40.Will-o’-the-wisps gives feux follets its familiar English sense; the note preserves its wordplay with wise fires. Both guiding/conducting terms, sure, the negative and traveler/path contrast remain.

T125.All four indented paragraphs remain one unit; the parenthetic etymology is body text. Literal voye/chemineur and the attribution dit le latin are not expanded or independently authenticated. Source quotation marks surround only feux follets; the printed contrast and repeated fire terms remain. Paragraph 2 italicizes Voyageur and voye only; its parentheses, comma and connecting prose are roman. French paragraph 4 leaves initial Entrevoir roman, then italicizes entre, à travers., the parenthetic Entre, dedans. and Introspicit, through their stated punctuation. The intervening ou, parentheses and dit le latin are roman. The Intro-/spicit wrap is complete and joined without retaining the line-break hyphen. Original-size color confirms the qualified circumflex in paroître and the complete lower words/line endings. The source specialist directly read complete color 905 and the named original-size color/native 437 comparisons; no independent peer comparison is asserted.

T41.The parenthetic etymology remains a separate body paragraph. The French word-mentions voyageur and voye are retained so the asserted relationship is not falsely presented as an English derivation; they mean traveler and way here. Wayfarer and runner of paths freshly render chemineur/coureur de chemins. The etymology remains Joubert’s claim, not a verified derivation. Only retained Voyageur and voye are italic in both languages; the connecting prose, parentheses and comma are roman.

T42.The source’s electrical fire designation remains, with without, can, chiefly and the unexpected clear-word comparison. The claim is not rewritten in modern scientific terms.

T43.The wordplay requires the French word-mentions entrevoir and entre, meaning glimpse and between; they are retained in the body, with through translating à travers and within translating dedans. Introspicit remains the discussed Latin word and means looks within. No external Latin quotation is identified. Initial Entrevoir is roman. The italic English spans are entre, through with its period, parenthetic Entre, within with its period, and Introspicit with its comma. These correspond to the source italic entre, à travers with its period, Entre, dedans with its period, and Introspicit with its comma. The intervening or words, parentheses and final says the Latin are roman. The source line-wrap within Introspicit creates no lexical gap.

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.