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 1823 · Entry 8202

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Facing Pages · Branch 4421 of 4529

YEAR 1823 · Entry 8202

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 8841

25 mai.

Les « nixa » je reviendrai.

De quels objets il faut occuper l’esprit — et de quels... il ne faut jamais l’occuper. De quels... il faut l’occuper un moment et de quels... il faut l’occuper longuement. De quels il faut qu’il ait l’idée et garde peu de souvenir. Ne lui imprimer fortement que ce qui est bon à imiter.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1823

p. 8842

May 25.

The “nixa” I shall return.

What objects one must occupy the mind with — and what... one must never occupy it with. What... one must occupy it with for a moment, and what... one must occupy it with for a long time. Of what it must have an idea and retain little memory. Impress strongly upon it only what is good to imitate.

T36.The quoted opaque nixa is retained without expansion or imposed Latin sense. The abrupt first-person future remains, now with the terminal period retained from the canonical source. No object or preposition is supplied. This short roman paragraph and the following longer paragraph share the complete May 25 date.

T115.The short first paragraph ends with a definite baseline period after reviendrai in both original-size color and native 444. Quoted nixa remains opaque and roman; no syntactic completion or object/preposition is supplied. The separately indented second paragraph retains three printed ellipses, all de quels repetitions, never/moment/longuement distinctions and the final restrictive infinitive Ne lui imprimer...que. No reproduction gap is inferred at the ellipses; all text is roman.

T37.The repeated introductory fragments, never, moment/long-time distinction, idea/little-memory distinction and final only restriction remain. No missing objects are supplied at the ellipses, and the singular mind remains the pronoun’s antecedent. The final English imperative renders the directive infinitive Ne lui imprimer...que without weakening its only restriction. English supplies the comma after for a moment before the coordinated clause. All three ellipses are printed, not reproduction losses.

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.