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.

Explore the Lexicon

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume IIYEAR 1813 · Entry 6612

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

French Page · Branch 2831 of 4529

YEAR 1813 · Entry 6612

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 5661

Et — qu’on ne peut être éloquent qu’en parlant à des hommes […]euple ou demi-ignorans. Ceux là seuls sont assés pleins et assés […]uides de sentimens et d’idées pour inspirer le désir et donner la […]acilité d’agir sur eux.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1813

p. 5662

And — that one can be eloquent only when speaking to men [of the people] or half-ignorant men. Those alone are full enough and [empty] enough of feelings and ideas to inspire the desire and make it [easy] to act upon them.

T109.The And/that opening, restriction, paired fullness/emptiness and desire/ease remain. The one paragraph crosses onto 747. [Of the people] contextually interprets […]euple as du peuple, without certifying any missing connector or initial p; the whole English phrase is bracketed, but only people carries the source word’s italic counterpart. Repeated men after half-ignorant is ordinary English coordination, not another French word. [Empty] and [easy] interpret contextual vuides and facilité from […]uides and […]acilité; the latter converts the noun into an adjective within make it easy. The French missing letters remain unrecovered.

T510.This single paragraph continues onto page 747. The first italic residue euple, the next uides and acilité have materially lost beginnings. No complete missing initial or preceding du is certified; the gaps remain explicit. Only the surviving euple is visibly italic, represented with its leading loss marker in the emphasis span. The unhyphenated Ceux là, repeated assés with acute accents and demi-ignorans remain.

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.