The phrase "the curse" refers to a supposed hex or long-running spell that brings bad luck. Informally, it can also mean a woman's menstrual period.
Work is the curse of the drinking classes. Oscar Wilde
We are stripped bare by the curse of plenty. Winston Churchill
Vehicular traffic is completely forbidden in the green strips, where tranquility shall reign and the curse of noise shall not penetrate. Le Corbusier
The curse on the hearth wounds the deepest. Danish Proverb
the curse of the fowl does not bother the kite. Swahili Proverb
If a person who curses another is not better than the person he curses, a request is never made of him to rescind the curse. Nigerian Proverb