Nad Tatrou sa blýska

"Nad Tatrou sa blýska" (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈnat tatrɔw sa ˈbliːska]; English: "Lightning over the Tatras", lit. "Above Tatras it is lightening") is the national anthem of Slovakia. The origins of it are in the Central European activism of the 19th century. Its main themes are a storm over the Tatra mountains that symbolized danger to the Slovaks, and a desire for a resolution of the threat. It used to be particularly popular during the 1848–1849 insurgencies.

It was one of Czechoslovakia's dual national anthems and was played in many Slovak towns at noon; this tradition ceased to exist after Czechoslovakia split into two different states in the early 1990s with the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.

Lyrics

Slovak	IPA transcription	English translation
Nad Tatrou1 sa blýska Hromy divo bijú Zastavme ich, bratia Veď sa ony stratia Slováci ožijú	ˈnat tatrɔw sa ˈbliːska ˈɦrɔmi ˈdʑiʋɔ ˈbijuː ˈzastawme ˈix ˈbratɕɪɐ ˈʋetɕ sa ˈɔni ˈstratɕɪɐ ˈslɔʋaːtsi ˈɔʐijuː|	There is lightning over the Tatras1 Thunders loudly sound Let us stop them, brothers After all they will disappear The Slovak] will revive
To Slovensko naše Posiaľ tvrdo spalo Ale blesky hromu Vzbudzujú ho k tomu Aby sa prebralo2	tɔ ˈslɔʋenskɔ ˈnaʂe ˈpɔsɪɐʎ ˈtʋr̩dɔ ˈspalɔ ˈale ˈbleski ˈɦrɔmu ˈvzbudzujuː ɦɔ k ˈtɔmu ˈabi sa ˈprebralɔ|	That Slovakia of ours Had been sleeping by now But the thunder's lightnings Are rousing the land To wake it up2
Only the first two stanzas have been legislated as the national anthem
Už Slovensko vstáva Putá si strháva Hej, rodina milá Hodina odbila Žije matka Sláva3	uʂ ˈslɔʋenskɔ ˈfstaːʋa ˈputaː si ˈstr̩ɦaːʋa ɦej ˈrɔdʑina ˈmilaː ˈɦɔdʑina ˈɔdbila ˈʐije ˈmatka ˈslaːʋa|	Slovakia is already rising Tearing off Her shackles Hey, dear family The hour has struck Mother Glory3 is alive
Ešte jedle4 rastú Na krivánskej5strane Kto jak Slovák cíti Nech sa šable chytí A medzi nás stane	ˈeʂte ˈjedle ˈrastuː na ˈkriʋaːnskej ˈstrane ˈktɔ jak ˈslɔʋaːk ˈtsiːtɕi ˈnex sa ˈʂable ˈxitɕiː a ˈmedzi naːs ˈstane|	Firs4 are still growing On the slopes of Kriváň5 Who feels to be a Slovak May he take a sabre And stand among us

Lyrical English translation (first two stanzas) :

Far above the Tatras

Lightning bolts are pounding.

These bolts shall we 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.

1. Romantic poets began to employ the Tatras as a symbol of the Slovaks' homeland.
2. That is, to join the national-ethnic activism already underway among other peoples of Central Europe in the 19th century.
3. The standard meaning of sláva is "glory" or "fame". The figurative meaning, first used by Ján Kollár in the monumental poem The Daughter Of Sláva in 1824, is "Goddess/Mother of the Slavs".
4. The idiomatic simile like a fir" (ako jedľa) was applied to men in a variety of positive meanings: "stand tall," "have a handsome figure," "be tall and brawny," etc.
5. See the article on Kriváň for the mountain's symbolism.

Other translation

German translation (used 1918–1938 and 1939–1945)

Ob der Tatra blitzt es,
Dröhnt des Donners Krachen
Doch der Stürme Wehen
wird gar bald vergehen
Brüder, wir erwachen!

Another German translation

Über der Tatra blitzt es,
Donner schlagen wild.
Lasst sie aufhalten, Brüder,
sie werden sich ja verlieren,
Slowaken leben auf.
Unsere Slowakei
hat bisher hart geschlafen.
Aber Donnerblitze
erwecken sie dazu,
damit sie erwacht.
Noch wachsen Tannen
an Kriváňs Seite.
Wer als Slowake fühlt,
der soll einen Säbel greifen,
und zwischen uns stehen.
Schon steht die Slowakei auf,
reißt sich die Fesseln nieder.
Hey, liebe Familie
die Stunde hat geschlagen,
es lebe Mutter Sláva!

Hungarian translation (used 1920–1938)

Fenn a Tátra ormán villámok cikáznak,
Fenn a Tátra ormán villámok cikáznak,
Állj meg szlovák testvér, elmúlik a veszély népünk ébredez már.
Állj meg szlovák testvér, elmúlik a veszély népünk ébredez már.

Another Hungarian translation

A Tátra fölött villámlik, vadul mennydörög,
A Tátra fölött villámlik, vadul mennydörög,
Állítsuk meg őket, testvérek, a szlovákok felélednek,
Állítsuk meg őket, testvérek, a szlovákok felélednek.

Ez a mi Szlovákiánk eddig mélyen aludt.
Ez a mi Szlovákiánk eddig mélyen aludt.
De a mennydörgő villámok felkelésre ösztönzik.
De a mennydörgő villámok felkelésre ösztönzik.