Cursed Be Iron

Curses on thee, cruel iron
Curses on the steel thou givest
Curses on thee, tongue of evil
Cursed be thy life forever

Once thou wert of little value, having neither form nor beauty
Neither strength nor great importance, when in form of milk thou rested
When for ages thou wert hidden, in the breasts of God's three daughters
Hidden in their heaving bosoms
On the borders of the cloudlets, in the blue vault of the heavens

Thou wert once of little value, having neither form nor beauty
Neither strength nor great importance, when like water thou wert resting
On the broad back of the marshes, on the steep declines of mountains
When thou wert but formless matter, only dust of rusty color

Curses on thee, cruel iron
Curses on the steel thou givest
Curses on thee, tongue of evil
Cursed be thy life forever

Surely thou wert void of greatness, having neither strength nor beauty
When the moose was trampling on thee, when the roebuck trod upon thee
When the tracks of wolves were in thee and the bear-paws scratched thy body

Surely thou hadst little value when the skillful Ilmarinen
First of all the iron-workers, brought thee from the blackened swamp-lands
Took thee to his ancient smithy, placed thee in his fiery furnace

Truly thou hadst little vigor, little strength, and little danger
When thou in the fire wert hissing, rolling forth like seething water
From the furnace of the smithy when thou gavest oath the strongest

By the furnace, by the anvil, by the tongs, and by the hammer
By the dwelling of the blacksmith, by the fire within the furnace

Curses on thee, cruel iron
Curses on the steel thou givest
Curses on thee, tongue of evil

Now forsooth thou hast grown mighty, thou canst rage in wildest fury
Thou hast broken all thy pledges, all thy solemn vows hast broken
Like the dogs thou shamest honor
Shamest both thyself and kindred, tained all with breath and evil

Tell all who drove thee to this mischief
Tell who taught thee thy malice
Tell who gavest thee thine evil
Tell me, now tell me

Did thy father, or thy mother
Did the eldest of thy brothers
(Did the youngest of thy sisters)
Did the worst of all thy kindred
(Give to thee thine evil nature)
Not thy father, nor thy mother
(Not the eldest of thy brothers)
Not the youngest of thy sisters
Not the worst of all thy kindred

But thyself hast done this mischief
Thou the cause of all our trouble
Come and view thine evil doings
And amend this flood of damage

Curses on thee, cruel iron
Curses on the steel thou givest
Curses on thee, tongue of evil
Cursed be thy life forever