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 skilful 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

Cursed be thy life forever

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 who drove thee to this mischief

Tell who taught thee all 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!