“Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown” includes four of the 14 stanzas of the 1742 poem “Wrestling Jacob” by the Anglican cleric and hymn-writer Charles Wesley (1707-1788). A meditation on Genesis 32:22-30, it is considered by many to be the greatest of Wesley’s more than 6,500 poems and hymns. In a eulogy to his brother at the 1788 Methodist Conference, Wesley’s brother John stated that the great English hymn-writer Isaac Watts (1674-1748) “did not scruple to say that that single poem, ‘Wrestling Jacob,’ was worth all the verses he himself had written.”
The poem is also considered an allegory of Charles Wesley’s own striving with God and, by extension, an allegory of the the Christian’s conversion and lifelong journey with God. For an excellent commentary on the work, follow this link >>
Commonly titled “Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown” from its incipit, “Wrestling Jacob” has typically been abbreviated in modern hymnals, often including the four stanzas that appear in this setting for SATB choir and organ:
Come, O Thou Traveler unknown,
Whom still I hold, but cannot see;
My company before is gone,
And I am left alone with Thee.
With Thee all night I mean to stay
And wrestle till the break of day.
I need not tell Thee who I am,
My misery, or sin, declare;
Thyself hast call’d me by my name,
Look on Thy hand and read it there.
But who, I ask Thee, who art Thou?
Tell me Thy name, and tell me now!
Yield to me now, for I am weak,
But confident in self-despair;
Speak to my heart, in blessing speak,
Be conquer’d by my instant prayer;
Speak, or Thou never hence shalt move,
And tell me if Thy name is Love.
’Tis Love, ’tis Love! Thou diedst for me,
I hear Thy whisper in my heart.
The morning breaks, the shadows flee:
Pure universal Love Thou art;
To me, to all, Thy mercies move—
Thy nature, and Thy name is Love.
“Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown” has been set by composers to several different tunes, perhaps because it is difficult for any tune to carry the weight and drama of Wesley’s words. The tune used in this arrangement, VERNON by Jeremiah Ingalls (1790) and Amzi Chapin (1813), with its stark, folk-like quality and minor tonality, seem to capture some of the mystery of the Biblical narrative. In the conclusion to stanza 4 and this arrangement, the words “Thy name is Love!” modulate to a brilliant final major chord.
SATB/organ score (8 pages, 8.5×11″)
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