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 IIAccording to Plato · Entry 6775

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According to Plato · Entry 6775

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 5987

I. « Chaque action pour être bien faite (disent les orientaux) exige un caractère particulier.

II. Il y a toujours beaucoup de lumière dans les mots des orientaux.

III. Comme la tunique de l’œil où tout se peint, tout se dessine ou tout se grave — telle est la tunique de l’âme; mais tunique immatérielle ou d’un seul léz, ou d’une matière éthérée.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: According to Plato

p. 5988

I. “Every action, to be well done (say the people of the East), requires a particular character.

II. There is always much light in the sayings of the people of the East.

III. Like the tunic of the eye on which everything is painted, everything drawn or everything engraved — such is the tunic of the soul; but an immaterial tunic, or of a single breadth, or of an ethereal matter.

T300.The first Roman label and opening quotation remain without a supplied closing mark. The source’s broad geographic attribution remains unverified; particular character is not narrowed to a personality trait or an action’s style.

T666.All three Roman paragraphs remain separate. The opening guillemet before Chaque has no visible closing counterpart before II; no closure is supplied. Both orientaux occurrences are lowercase. The first où is accented; after se dessine the raised horizontal/vertical artifacts do not securely certify an accent, so qualified plain ou is retained. Native léz has a distinct acute and final z. The repeated tunique, nominal qualification and two later ou alternatives remain.

T301.The separate Roman paragraph, always and much remain. The attribution is kept broad and unassigned to a specific text or culture.

T302.The third Roman paragraph keeps the tunic comparison, three repeated everything forms and both or alternatives. Single breadth renders léz in the cloth image: the Académie’s 1798 Lé defines the width of cloth between its selvages. That lexical support does not certify the printed final z or authorize a spelling change. No modern eye layer or physical theory of the soul is supplied.

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.