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 1815 · Entry 7376

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French Page · Branch 3595 of 4529

YEAR 1815 · Entry 7376

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 7189

« Nous ne voulons ni de l’ancienne religion, ni de l’ancienne politique, ni de l’ancienne morale, — ni (s’ils vont jusqu’au bout) de l’ancienne éloquence et de l’ancienne poësie; il faut que tout soit nouveau comme nous. » Telles sont leurs pensées, si ce ne sont pas leurs discours. Et ils appellent lumières leurs erreurs et obscurans ceux qui s’opposent à leurs tristes obscurités. Mais encore une fois ils connoissent leur siècle, c’est à dire, leurs volontés et leurs pensées, et la volonté et les pensées de leurs pareils; mais tout cela n’est conforme qu’aux passions, mais non pas conforme à la nature qui n’est pas toute passion.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1815

p. 7190

“We want neither the old religion, nor the old politics, nor the old morals, — nor (if they go to the end) the old eloquence and the old poetry; everything must be new like us.” Such are their thoughts, if not their words. And they call their errors lights, and those who oppose their dismal obscurities obscurants. But once again they know their age, that is to say, their wills and their thoughts, and the will and thoughts of their fellows; but all this conforms only to the passions, but does not conform to nature, which is not wholly passion.

T203.The whole quotation and its parenthetic third-person interruption remain, with all five old domains and the demand for newness. If-not preserves the thoughts/words qualification. Lights and obscurants retain the source’s emphasized light/dark polemic; obscurants contextually names those accused of spreading obscurity, without supplying a modern political group. The repeated will/thought and conformance relations remain. Nature is not wholly passion renders qui n’est pas toute passion, not a claim that some particular passion is excluded. Only lights and obscurants correspond to the two italic source terms; the rest is roman.

T565.In the French source, the quoted passage ends after nous. with its period inside the guillemet. All four ni forms, the parenthetic condition, obligation, conditional qualification after Telles and three later negatives/restrictions remain. C’est à dire has no hyphens and is followed by a comma. Only lumières and obscurans are italic. Poësie has two distinct raised e components in the original-size color image; no spelling normalization is made. The politi-/tique and con-/forme wraps are complete. The l’ancienne/nouveau/leurs/ceux/connoissent/et/forme/pas line openings retain identifiable abraded foreground forms, without evidence of additional missing words.

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.