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 1819 · Entry 7988

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English Page · Branch 4207 of 4529

YEAR 1819 · Entry 7988

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 8413

Dic mihi, musa; Ἄειδε θεά. Ce qu’on n’a pas pu apprendre des hommes, ce qui manque à l’histoire, ce que la renommée n’a pas dit, on le demande à quelque muse, à son propre génie, à son esprit, à sa raison ou à son imagination qu’on laisse parler et qu’on écoute.

Le dic mihi musa manque aux nouvelles de Bocace; il n’ajoute rien à ce qu’on lui a dit, il n’invente que les détails. Son récit finit où a fini le conte vulgaire. Ses inventions ne dépassent jamais le champ fourni par sa mémoire. Il respecte le conte adopté comme il respecteroit la vérité, sans y rien ajouter.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1819

p. 8414

Tell me, Muse; Sing, goddess. What one has been unable to learn from men, what is missing from history, what renown has not said, one asks of some muse, of one’s own genius, of one’s mind, of one’s reason or one’s imagination, which one lets speak and listens to.

The tell me, Muse is missing from Bocace’s tales; he adds nothing to what he has been told, he invents only the details. His narrative ends where the common tale ended. His inventions never go beyond the field supplied by his memory. He respects the adopted tale as he would respect truth, without adding anything to it.

T9.The opening Latin and Greek are freshly translated separately, without substituting an existing English epic. The three what clauses, inability, five possible sources and final speaking/listening remain. Renown retains renommée’s circulation of report without silently changing it to a named historian. The collated Latin Dic mihi, musa; is italic through its comma and semicolon, with the English Tell me, Muse; likewise italic. The following Greek Ἄειδε θεά. and its English Sing, goddess. remain roman. The compressed Greek upper marks remain qualified to the reproduction; no external epic wording or typography is substituted.

T10.The repeated Latin invocation is freshly translated as in the preceding paragraph; its metalinguistic use remains. The source name Bocace is retained. Nothing/only/never/without, narrative versus tale, the field image and conditional respect remain. No particular tale or external assessment is added. The second source dic mihi musa is separately italic, with lowercase d and no internal comma; its English tell me, Muse is italic with a supplied vocative comma. The preceding article remains roman.

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.