Nad Tatrou sa blýska is the national anthem of Slovakia. The song arose in 1844 during a campaign of the students of the Evangelic Lutheran Lyceum of Bratislava to the town of Levoèa in protest against the deprival of ¼udovít Štúr by Hungarian authorities (for details see under ¼udovít Štúr). The text was written by Janko Matúška in 1844 during the campaign, but the melody was taken from the folk song Kopala studienku (She was digging a little well). It became popular during the Slovak Volunteer campaigns of 1848/1849. However, it was published in print only in 1851. In 1920 the first verse became part of the Czechoslovak anthem, which consisted of the present-day Czech anthem Kde domov mùj? followed by the first part of the present-day Slovak anthem. In 1993, the first two verses became the national anthem of independent Slovakia. Only the first two verses are in the Slovak anthem. 








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Lyrics

Nad Tatrou sa blýska
hromy divo bijú.
Zastavme ich bratia,
ved' sa ony stratia,
Slováci ožijú.

To Slovensko naše
posia¾ tvrdo spalo.
Ale blesky hromu
vzbudzujú ho k tomu,
aby sa prebralo.

Už Slovensko vstáva
putá si strháva
Hej rodina milá
hodina odbila,
žije matka Sláva
Ešte jedle rastú
na krivánskej strane
Kto jak Slovák cíti,
nech sa šable chytí,
a medzi nás vstane


Literal translation:

There is lightning over the Tatra,
thunderclaps are striking ferociously.
Let us stop them, brothers,
(you will see that) they will disappear,
the Slovaks will revive.

This, our Slovakia
has long been fast asleep.
But the lightning of the thunder
is rousing it
to wake up.

Already Slovakia is waking up,
throwing off its bonds
Hey dear family
the hour has ticked away
Mother Glory is alive
Firs yet grow
on the slopes of Kriváò
Whoever is feeling like a Slovak,
let him take a sabre
and let him rise among us.

A looser translation of the first two verses

Far above the Tatra
lightning bolts are pounding.
These bolts we shall banish,
brothers, they will vanish;
Slovaks are rebounding.

Our Slovakia was,
until now, quiescent.
But the lightning flashing
and the thunder crashing
made it effervescent.