対訳 ベンジャミン・バトンの奇妙な実態 5-1 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

1880年、ベンジャミン・バトンは20歳となり、誕生日を祝うために、父親の経営する金物卸売会社ロジャー・バトン・アンド・カンパニーに出向いた。この年に、彼は「社交界デビュー」も果たしていた。つまり、父親が彼をファッショナブルなダンスに何度か連れて行くようになったのだ。ロジャー・バトンは今や50歳になっていて、息子とますます似てきた。実際、ベンジャミンは髪を染めなくなったので（まだ白髪が多かったが）、二人はほぼ同年齢に見え、兄弟と見紛うばかりだった。

V

In 1880 Benjamin Button was twenty years old, and he signalised his birthday by going to work for his father in Roger Button & Co., Wholesale Hardware. It was in that same year that he began “going out socially”—that is, his father insisted on taking him to several fashionable dances. Roger Button was now fifty, and he and his son were more and more companionable—in fact, since Benjamin had ceased to dye his hair (which was still grayish) they appeared about the same age, and could have passed for brothers.