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 II1812 · Entry 6253

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Facing Pages · Branch 2472 of 4529

1812 · Entry 6253

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 4943

[…] janvier.

Il faut mêler la terre et le ciel, C’est à dire il faut que la terre et […] ciel soient mêlés dans toutes les affections humaines et se les par[…]gent pour que tout aille bien et que les hommes soient heureux. […], pour établir cet équilibre, il faut les faiblesses de la nature et […]s efforts de la vertu. Il faut beaucoup de religion et beaucoup de […]nchans terrestres. La nature a pourvu à l’un; nos soins doivent […]ourvoir à l’autre. Il faut donner aux sens des freins, un éguillon […] des ailes à l’âme. Si vous intervertissez cet ordre, etc.

En un mot, et je ne puis assez le redire, la nature a fait assés pour […]s passions et toutes les institutions ne doivent tendre qu’à les gui[…]r et à les contenir. Si on ajoute un feu à ce feu, il consumera […]omme ou son bonheur.

Nos moralistes sont des fous : ils tendent tous à augmenter ce […]’il faut tendre à circonscrire.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: 1812

p. 4944

January […].

One must mingle earth and heaven, That is to say, earth and […] heaven must be mingled in all human affections and [share] them between them, so that all may go well and men may be happy. […], to establish this balance, the weaknesses of nature and [the] efforts of virtue are needed. Much religion and many earthly [inclinations] are needed. Nature has provided for one; our care must [provide] for the other. One must give the senses bridles, the soul a goad […] wings. If you reverse this order, etc.

In a word, and I cannot say it often enough, nature has done enough for [the] passions, and all institutions must aim only to [guide] and contain them. If one adds a fire to this fire, it will consume [man] or his happiness.

Our moralists are madmen: they all aim to increase [what] one must aim to circumscribe.

T11.The repeated earth/heaven and mingling remain, with their shared possession of the affections. Weaknesses and efforts retain their distinct roles. The one/other relation stays unexpanded. Bridles, goad and wings keep their separate assignments, and the last condition remains unfinished. The article before heaven, connective before to establish, and conjunction before wings remain gaps. Bracketed share, the, inclinations and provide contextually read par[…]gent, […]s, […]nchans and […]ourvoir as partagent, les, penchans and pourvoir, without recovering the lost French letters. The printed éguillon is retained in French and read as goad.

T362.The January day is wholly lost at the damaged left edge; no day is inferred from sequence. Three source paragraphs remain in order. At the left edge, the article before ciel and the connective before the comma after heureux are not recoverable. The divided par[…]gent retains only the surviving components; the first surviving g is partly clipped. Only s remains before efforts and before passions. The beginnings of […]nchans and […]ourvoir are damaged; the retained n and o themselves are partly clipped. Penchans and pourvoir are contextual possibilities, not established complete readings. No conjunction is recovered before des ailes. In the second paragraph, the ending after divided gui- certifies only r. The h ascender before omme is lost, so the missing component remains explicit. Before ’il in the third paragraph, an isolated upright and foot do not certify the preceding full letter. The opening I is clipped but retains a recognizable upright. Éguillon has a visible initial acute and the printed e opening; it is not normalized to aiguillon. Assez and the later assés retain their distinct printed endings. C’est follows the printed comma and capital. The unfinished Si clause and etc. remain.

T12.The first-person repetition and enough remain, with only restricting institutions’ aim. Guide and contain stay distinct. The added fire and consuming action remain images; or between man and happiness is retained. Bracketed the, guide and man contextually read […]s, gui[…]r and […]omme as les, guider and homme, without restoring lost French letters.

T13.The separate final paragraph retains our, all and repeated aim. Increase and circumscribe remain opposed, with no newly named object. Bracketed what marks the contextual relation read in ce […]’il, possibly ce qu’il; the broader English bracket does not restore the missing French letters.

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.