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 1821 · Entry 8162

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Facing Pages · Branch 4381 of 4529

YEAR 1821 · Entry 8162

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 8761

22 octobre.

Qu’est-ce que l’éruption d’un volcan? « Un peu de bruit et d[…] fumée. » Et Buffon lui-même l’a dit, Buffon, ce grand admirateur d[…] la force, de la puissance et des immensités physiques, et qui attribuoit à la matière ou plutôt à ses phénomènes des consistances qu’il[…] n’ont pas... Disons aussi...

Disons aussi : le vent le plus terrible n’est que le courant d’un pe[…] d’air; un déluge, qu’un déversement [d’un] peu d’eau; une tempête[…] qu’un conflit de quelques courans; la conflagration du monde, qu[…] l’explosion, le pétillement, la lueur d’un grain de poudre à la chandelle.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1821

p. 8762

October 22.

What is the eruption of a volcano? “A little noise and smoke.” And Buffon himself said it, Buffon, that great admirer [of] force, of power and of physical immensities, who attributed to matter, or rather to its phenomena, consistencies [they] do not have... Let us also say...

Let us also say: the most terrible wind is only the current of a [little] air; a flood, only a spilling [of a] little water; a tempest, only a conflict of a few currents; the conflagration of the world, [only] the explosion, the crackling, the gleam of a grain of gunpowder at a candle.

T82.The quotation, himself, repeated Buffon, force/power distinction, plural immensities/consistencies and corrective or-rather remain. Consistencies contextually preserves the assertion of substance or stability; no modern scientific claim or external authentication of the quotation is added. The damaged d[…] before fumée has no independent English word in noise and smoke; smoke itself is intact. [Of] renders the second d[…], before la force. [They] contextually interprets il[…] in qu’il[…] n’ont pas; the intact plural verb supports that reading but does not restore the missing letter in French. The quoted period already precedes the French closing guillemet and stays inside the English closing mark. English integrates et qui as the relative who and supplies the commas enclosing or rather to its phenomena. Attribuoit is complete across its wrap. Both printed ellipses and the repeated Let us also say remain. October 22 governs both paragraphs.

T143.The complete October 22 date follows October 24 and governs two paragraphs. The two d endings, qu’il, pe and qu remain incomplete at the right edge; the tall l in qu’il is abraded but identifiable. No subject/number is silently completed. The complete attri-/buoit and chan-/delle letters are joined without lexical loss markers merely for their missing wrap hyphens. Tempête retains identifiable letter contours, including its worn final e, but the following damaged edge does not certify punctuation. Its marker is a suspected punctuation loss with uncertain presence/extent, not a certified missing word. Printed [d’un] is a roman editorial supplement, separate from current gaps. The quoted smoke fragment visibly has its period before the closing guillemet. Repeated Buffon and Disons aussi, both printed ellipses, restrictive constructions and the three final effects remain. Literal courans retains its spelling.

T83.All four restrictive only formulations, the scale terms little/few/grain and the last three effects remain. [Little] contextually renders pe[…]. The final [only] renders damaged qu[…] in the elliptical restrictive formulation; it is not a certified completion of French. The separate printed [d’un] becomes [of a], distinct from a reproduction loss. Tempête is complete; its following marker denotes possible punctuation loss of uncertain presence and extent, so the English comma after tempest is supplied without inventing a word. Chandelle is complete across its wrap and requires no lexical bracket. French retains courans. The earlier universe and this world remain different 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.