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 Levo?a in protest against the deprival of ?udovít ?túr by Hungarian authorities.
The text was written by Janko Matú?ka 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 m?j 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.
Lightning flashes atop the Tatras, thunderclaps wildly beat. Let us stop them, brothers, See them disappear, the Slovaks revive.
This, our Slovakia long slept soundly. But the strokes of the thunder are rousing it to awaken.
Already Slovakia arises, throwing off its bonds Hey dear family the hour has struck Mother Glory is alive
First yet grow on the slopes of Krivá? Whoever feels like a Slovak, let him take a sabre and join our ranks.
Nad Tatrou sa blýska hromy divo bijú. Zastavme ich* bratia, ved' sa ony stratia, Slováci o?ijú.
To Slovensko na?e posia? tvrdo spalo. Ale blesky hromu vzbudzujú ho k tomu, aby sa prebralo.
U? Slovensko vstáva putá si strháva Hej rodina milá hodina odbila, ?ije matka Sláva E?te jedle rastú na krivánskej strane Kto jak Slovák cíti, nech sa ?able chytí, a medzi nás stane
