Teres I

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 noe great importance
When in form of milk thou rested
When for ages thou wert hidden
In the breasts of gods' 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
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
Tainted all with breath and evil
Tell who drove thee to this mischief
Tell who taught thee of 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
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