Lustraba los botines, estaban las propinas, un peso nunca dos.
Dejábanle ganarse la vida más o menos
de lástima, decía, hipócrita, el patrón.
Lo cierto que el muchacho, mascota de la casa,
poeta y jorobado, llamaba la atención.
Al verlo en los umbrales, el trapo sobre el hombro,
'¡La Grande!' pregonaba a fuerza de pulmón.

Aumentaba la clientela,
se vendían las decenas sin cesar,
daba gusto aquel negocio,
cuya suerte residía en la giba del muchacho nada más.
Menudearon las propinas y el paciente jorobeta
se prestaba dócilmente y sin doblez
a que algún supersticioso le pasara por el lomo
aquel número elegido por la humana estupidez.

Los años transcurrieron, sin otras novedades; el dueño envejeció
con la sua signora, la bolsa bien repleta,
la proa verso a Nápoles un barco los llevó.
Las cosas del destino. El pobre jorobeta,
ante el asombro unánime y el lógico estupor
después de ahorrar juicioso moneda tras moneda,
al frente del negocio de dueño apareció.

La clientela interminable con sus sueños desfilaba sin cesar,
el muchacho ya era un hombre, un señor muy respetable,
como aquellos que se han hecho un capital.
La fortuna perseguía como sombra al jorobeta,
como esclavo ya jamás la abandonó.
Y el giboso se reía, se reía a carcajadas
al quitarse por las noches la joroba de algodón.

English translation

He polished the boots, there were the tips, one peso never two.
Let him earn a living, more or less.
of pity, said, hypocritical, the boss.
The truth was that the boy, the mascot of the house,
poet and hunchback, attracted attention.
Seeing him on the threshold, the rag over his shoulder,
"La Grande!" he would shout at the top of his lungs.

The clientele increased,
the dozens were sold incessantly,
that business was a pleasure,
whose luck resided in the boy's hump, nothing more.
The tips were increasing and the patient humpback
lent himself docilely and without bending
to some superstitious person who would pass over his back
that number chosen by human stupidity.

The years went by, with no other novelties; the owner grew old
with the sua signora, the purse well filled,
the bow towards Naples a ship took them.
The things of destiny. The poor humpback,
to the unanimous astonishment and the logical astonishment
after judiciously saving coin after coin,
at the head of the owner's business appeared.

The endless clientele with their dreams paraded incessantly,
the boy was already a man, a very respectable gentleman,
like those who have made a capital for themselves.
Fortune followed him like a shadow,
as a slave he never left it.
And the gibbous man laughed, he laughed loudly
as he took off his cotton hump at night.