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 1823 · Entry 8222

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French Page · Branch 4441 of 4529

YEAR 1823 · Entry 8222

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 8881

23 septembre.

Du coup affreux qui t’est porté.

« ... t’est porté... » est excentrique. Pourquoi? C’est qu’au lieu de se ramener au centre de la phrase et de la pensée qui est le prince, il se rapporte au commencement qui est toi (le peuple). Cela est désagréable à l’attention comme le seroit aux yeux un bout de fil qui pendroit hors d’un peloton ou qui seroit flottant autour. Il faut que tout soit rond et serré ou bien lié; dans le style soutenu, car hors de là...

C’est ainsi que pour tracer la lettre O ou la lettre I, il suffit que le cercle ou la perpendiculaire soient indiqués. Mais comme figures […]gulières et mathématiques, il faut que le cercle soit parfait et que […] perpendiculaire [soit] absolument droite.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1823

p. 8882

September 23.

Of the dreadful blow that is dealt you.

“...is dealt you...” is eccentric. Why? Because instead of returning to the center of the sentence and the thought, which is the prince, it refers to the beginning, which is you (the people). This is as disagreeable to the attention as a loose end of thread hanging out of a ball or floating around it would be to the eyes. Everything must be round and tight, or well bound, in elevated style, for outside that...

Thus, to trace the letter O or the letter I, it is enough for the circle or the perpendicular to be indicated. But as [regular] and mathematical figures, the circle must be perfect and [the] perpendicular [be] absolutely straight.

T64.This single verse line remains one paragraph, with its initial dependent Of and passive relation; no poetic source or surrounding line is invented. It is centered and roman, with its period. The complete September 23 date governs this line and both following prose paragraphs.

T135.The complete September 23 date owns three paragraphs: one centered roman verse line, then two indented prose paragraphs. The verse period remains; in the French source, only prince, and toi are italic in paragraph 2. The attached comma remains in the prince span. Letters O and I, the people parenthesis and all other text are roman. The paragraph-2 ellipses are printed, not image losses. The source has a semicolon after lié before dans, a comma before car, and no added lexical completion at hors de là.... The relative/conditional relations and literal thread/ball image remain. Paragraph 3 crosses directly from figures at the bottom of 914 to the damaged opening on 915. Original-size color and native 447 certify only gulières, with identifiable but abraded initial g; the preceding ré is not recovered. Only disconnected foreground fragments occupy the slot before the intact perpendiculaire; no complete la is certified, so a whole loss is retained. The printed roman [soit] is an editorial supplement, distinct from those two reproduction losses. The source plural soient indiqués follows cercle ou la perpendiculaire and is retained without grammatical repair. The final straightness relation, perfect/absolute degrees and ordinary complete wraps remain. No additional paragraph or page-boundary punctuation is inserted.

T65.Eccentric preserves the literal off-center argument rather than merely unusual. The contrasted center and beginning, and their prince/you word-mentions, parenthetic people, thread/ball image, round/tight/bound alternatives and unfinished final clause remain. Prince/you are word-mentions corresponding to italic prince/toi. Elevated provisionally renders soutenu in style; the ellipses mark source fragments, not reproduction loss. The exact italic counterparts are “prince,” through its comma and “you” alone; all other text is roman. English replaces the source semicolon after lié with a comma and supplies a comma before or well bound. The final printed ellipsis remains unfinished, without a supplied consequence.

T66.Both letters, circle/perpendicular alternatives, enough versus must, regular/mathematical, perfect/absolutely straight remain. [Regular] is a broad contextual rendering of […]gulières, whose missing opening ré is not recovered in French. The later [the] contextually renders the whole lost slot before perpendiculaire without certifying la. These English reconstruction brackets are distinct from [be], which corresponds to the printed roman source-editor supplement [soit] on 915. English for the circle or the perpendicular to be indicated recasts the source finite plural soient indiqués as an infinitive; it does not reproduce that number agreement. Letters O and I are roman. One paragraph crosses the source page boundary; neither the losses nor the supplement creates a new paragraph.

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.