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 6383

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French Page · Branch 2602 of 4529

1812 · Entry 6383

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 5203

[…]0 juin.

Que l’âme est un miroir, où se réfléchissent des images, des espè[…]es ou des idées, des notions enfin, des objets qu’elle ne peut voir et […]u’elle ne doit pas ignorer entièrement.

Qu’elle est une règle réglée, par une règle supérieure qui la touche […]t qui la modèle, mais dont elle ne peut s’écarter ou par excès ou par […]éfaut.

Dieu nous touche, ou touche à nous, par tous nos points, comme […]umière et comme règle.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: 1812

p. 5204

June […]0.

That the soul is a mirror in which are reflected images, [species] or ideas, notions in short, of objects it cannot see and [that] it must not be entirely ignorant of.

That it is a rule ruled by a superior rule that touches it [and] models it, but from which it cannot depart either by excess or by [deficiency].

God touches us, or touches upon us, at all our points, as [light] and as rule.

S7.Source editor’s annotationNotebook.

T172.The dependent That and four intellectual terms remain. [Species] renders contextual espèces from espè[…]es in the technical sense of forms presented to the mind, not biological classification. [That] interprets the damaged qu’ component in […]u’elle; the intact elle is separately represented by it. The inability to see and obligation not to be wholly ignorant remain distinct.

T181.This one-word source-editor cue belongs to the June date heading, not to the first paragraph. It identifies the notebook without completing the damaged day or creating an additional entry.

T498.Only the terminal day 0 is secure before juin; no leading day digit is restored. Raised call 7 belongs to this date heading, not the first paragraph. The three paragraphs remain separate; the first two begin as dependent Que formulations. The line breaks interrupt espè[…]es, […]u’elle, […]t, […]éfaut and […]umière. At the final opening, extra disconnected traces do not certify whether the loss includes an article in addition to the beginning of lumière; its extent remains unresolved. No expected letter or word is silently supplied. The intact portions of the damaged first u/t/é/u are qualified for left-edge abrasion.

T499.This apparatus identifies the carnet and belongs to the June date heading.

T173.The repeated rule and dependent That preserve the unusual formulation. [And] and [deficiency] interpret […]t and […]éfaut as et and défaut. The printed negative and either/or alternatives remain without an inserted except; the source has no separately printed restrictive que here. Neither the French gap nor its syntax is normalized.

T174.The two constructions with touch, every point and repeated as remain. [Light] interprets […]umière contextually as lumière. The full extent of that loss is uncertain, including whether an article also preceded the noun; English supplies no new article or theological explanation.

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.