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 1807 · Entry 4990

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English Page · Branch 1209 of 4529

YEAR 1807 · Entry 4990

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 2417

La pierre-ponce. Il passe perpétuellement sa pierre-ponce sur […] ce que vous pensez et sur tout ce que vous sentez. Il vous fait […] Avec de telles gens, écrire seroit cent fois moins pénible que converser. Il n’est pas encore arrivé qu’on se fit le spectateur […] homme qui se promène et qu’on en soumit les pas et tous les mouvemens à la critique, mais cela viendra.

« Avoir du succès dans la conversation » dit-on. Est-ce que […] un théâtre, est-ce qu’on y joue un rôle est-ce qu’on y dispute un p[…] est-ce qu’au lieu d’y avoir des compagnons on y a des juges?

On voit écrit sur leur front : « ici on juge ». Avec eux, on ne p[…] pas se délasser; il faut jouter, ferrailler, combattre.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1807

p. 2418

The pumice stone. He perpetually passes his pumice stone over […] what you think and over everything you feel. He makes you […] With such people, writing would be a hundred times less painful than conversing. It has not yet happened that one made oneself the spectator […] man taking a walk and submitted his steps and all his movements to criticism, but that will come.

“To succeed in conversation,” they say. Is […] a theater, does one play a role there does one compete there for a p[…] does one have judges there instead of companions?

One sees written on their brow: “here one judges.” With them, one […] not relax; one must joust, fence, fight.

T26.The pumice stone, walking, and scrutiny of every movement remain physical images of criticism. The gaps after over, makes you, and spectator remain unrecovered; they are not filled with plausible words merely to make the English smooth. The first of three paragraphs gives the walking image, the second the theater and competition, and the third the combat.

T272.Several words and punctuation marks at the right edge are obscured. The gaps after sur, fait and spectateur, and the opening of the théâtre question, remain unresolved; tout, mal and d’un are possible contextual readings, not certified text. The words beginning p[…] may be prix and peut, but are not completed. The line-wrapped converser and mouvemens are retained through their clear continuation endings and context, although their right-edge beginnings are obscured. Fit and soumit remain unaccented as printed. No comma is added between rôle and est-ce. The introductory and final guillemeted phrases retain their different capitalization.

T27.The theater question has a damaged opening; the word beginning p may be prix, prize, but remains a French residue. The absent punctuation between role and the following question remains absent. Companions and judges retain the opposed roles.

T28.The modal verb before not relax is damaged and remains a gap in English; peut, can, is likely but not certified. The lowercase here and the three combat verbs remain. Fence renders ferrailler as clashing with blades in this figurative conversation.

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.