The Song of the Cardinal

by Gene Stratton-Porter

The Song of the Cardinal, A Love Story. (Illustrated with "camera studies from life by the author." Publisher's green cloth with paste-on image of a cardinal.)

"She had taken possession of the sumac. The location was her selection and he loudly applauded her choice. She placed the first twig, and after examining it carefully, he spent the day carrying her others just as much alike as possible. If she used a dried grass blade, he carried grass blades until she began dropping them on the ground."

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Nature, Animals, Birds, Romance, Literature

120 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1906

About the author

She was an American author, amateur naturalist, wildlife photographer, and one of the earliest women to form a movie studio and production company. She wrote some of the best selling novels and well-received columns in magazines of the day.

Born Geneva Grace Stratton in Wabash County, Indiana, she married Charles D. Porter in 1886, and they had one daughter, Jeannette.

She became a wildlife photographer, specializing in the birds and moths in one of the last of the vanishing wetlands of the lower Great Lakes Basin. The Limberlost and Wildflower Woods of northeastern Indiana were the laboratory and inspiration for her stories, novels, essays, photography, and movies. Although there is evidence that her first book was "Strike at Shane's", which was published anonymously, her first attributed novel, The Song of the Cardinal met with great commercial success. Her novels Freckles and A Girl of the Limberlost are set in the wooded wetlands and swamps of the disappearing central Indiana ecosystems she loved and documented. She eventually wrote over 20 books.

Reviews

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully descriptive, imaginative tale of a cardinal seeking a mate and the joys of nature. A true classic.

4.5 stars

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A glimpse into the life of a male Cardinal. From the egg first cracking to the hatching of his own eggs, you’ll witness nature as only Stratton-Porter can tell it.

Ages: 10+

Content Considerations: nothing to note.

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[Barbara Fabricius (du Plooy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could read this book over and over. It tells of how just a small creature can make a difference in the life of someone who was ageing and rheumatic and could hardly put his hand to the plough.

One of my favourite parts is when Abram comes upon the hunter shooting at the Cardinal (P. 48)and gives out to him -
P.49 "Young man, I got a couple o' things to say to you." and proceeds to tear into him and then tells him what the Cardinal has mean to him and his wife.

p.51 "My wife comes to see him [the Cardinal], an' brings him stuff; an' we about worship him. Who are you, to come 'long an' wipe out his joy in life, an' our joy in him, for jest nothin'? You'd a left him to rot on the ground, if you'd a hit him; an' me an' Maria's loved him so!"

His description of what his wife means to him comparing it to the love of the Cardinal for his mate is so simple and yet so beautiful.

A beautiful book - as are all her books.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was pleasantly surprised with this 100+ year old nature tale of Cardinal romance. Nothing wil, but a mostly pleasant read from another Hoosier author.

"D'you ever stop to think how full this world is o things to love, if yer heart's jest big enough to let 'em in? We love to live fer the beauty of the things surroundin' us, an' the joy we take in bein' among 'em. An' it's my belief 'at the way to make folks love us, is fer us to be able to 'preciate what they can do. If a man's puttin' his heart an' soul, an' blood, an' beef steak, an bones into paintin' picters, you kin talk farmin' to him all day, an' he's dumb; but jest show him 'at you see what he's a-drivin' at in his work, an' he'll love you like a brother. Whatever anybody succeeds in, it's success 'cos they so love it at they put the best of theirselves into it; an' so, lovin' what they do, is lovin' them." (p. 146)

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though written more than 100 years ago, this book has lost none of its charm with age. Gene Stratton-Porter’s book about a somewhat arrogant cardinal is wondrous in its prose, descriptive in its language, and appealing in its Indiana setting. The cardinal has a reason to be proud: he is the biggest, reddest bird ever seen by anyone. Even so, he has trouble wooing and winning his mate. The discovery of these cardinals by the farmer, Abram, and his wife, Maria, is so well told and described, that the astonishment these two people feel for these remarkable birds makes the story come alive. And when Abram takes to task a hunter who shot at his beloved bird, his anger just rolls off the page. A wonderful story that is so much more than a song of the cardinal; it is a story of an farm couple who are still surprised in their old age by the glory of God’s creation in the guise of a cardinal.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clever story told from a cardinal's perspective about his life, particularly about his search for his mate and how he protected her and their baby birds. It was sweet and tender, especially since it paralleled a story of an old farmer and his wife, whose love is rekindled as they witness the cardinal's pursuit and protection of his mate. Written by a naturalist who studied and experienced nature and also happened to be a fantastic author, it is a great book for bird watchers who want to imagine what the life of a bird is like. Other books I love by Gene Stratton-Porter include The Harvester, Keeper of the Bees, and Girl of the Limberlost

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This charming story of a budding romance between two cardinals is sure to delight birdlovers everywhere, but it will be especially meaningful to Indiana residents who know both the bird and this region. This novel sets a leisurely pace as it describes the various natural settings of this region, including the limberlost, and its atmospheric meanderings are as lush and beautiful as the landscapes they invoke. This is not a fast-paced action-filled thriller, but it IS a wonderful tale. A perfect book to read indoors on a rainy day.

[Sheila Nielson · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have been sitting on our deck more than normal this year and have been entertained by the variety of birds in the woods behind us. Most notable have been 2 sets of cardinals. It prompted me to find this old book and reread this beautiful love story. I see it as an allegory of Christ, the beautiful one with magnificent color, searching and pursuing me, the mousey shy one with no beauty at all.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet story

The Cardinal leaves his home in the Limberlost to find a new home beside the river. He is desperate to find a mate, and when he finds one, he is overjoyed. He sings of his love and is very protective of her and their little family. The local farmer and his wife are quite inspired by the little redbirds.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful, quick read. Gene Stratton-Porter has such a beautiful way with the natural world storytelling.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early 20th-century Hoosier author Gene Stratton Porter is known for her love of nature. So if anyone were to write a book chronicling a cardinal’s life, Gene would be a likely candidate.

And she did — it’s called The Song of the Cardinal. This is a short book, at under 100 pages, but it is powerful. We start following the Cardinal’s story when he is hatched. We follow him as he exults in his discoveries of nature (I particularly enjoyed the scene where he discovered his image in a pond).

Human interest is added when the Cardinal is noticed by an old farmer, Abram: “Best kind of a pet in the whole world, too! Makin’ everybody, at sees you happy, an’ havin’ some chance to be happy yourself. An’ I look like your friend? Well! Well! I’m monstrous willin’ to adopt you if you’ll take me; an’, as for feedin’, from tomorrow on I’ll find time to set your little table ‘long this same rail every day … you’re the prettiest thing God ever made in the shape of a bird.”

Abram and his wife, Maria, find their lives improved by the daily sight of the Cardinal in his sumac bush. “I’ve talked more’n I have in a whole year,” Abram tells the Cardinal. He feels that finding Cardinal has led to “the golden springtime of his later life.”

Cardinal has a serious issue to deal with — finding a mate. After a long search that we accompany him on, he finds one. It’s quite a Cinderella story, for this mighty specimen picks a poor, quiet, rather dowdy female cardinal. But Cardinal treats her so well that she is transformed.

Cardinal and the Mrs. set up a nest, and look lovingly over their eggs and later, their babies. But all is not roses. One day, a hunter ventures onto Abram’s land, and after hearing a shot, Abram discovers that Cardinal has come very near being killed.

Abram discovers a new energy and bounds out to the offender, giving him more of a talking-to than he bargained for: “My wife comes to see him, an’ brings him stuff; an’ we about worship him. Who are you, to come ‘long an’ wipe out his joy in life … for jest nothin’?” Gene likely states some of her own beliefs next, when Abram goes on: “To my mind, ain’t no better way to love an’ worship God, ‘an to protect an’ ‘preciate these fine gifts He’s given for our joy an’ use. Worshipin’ that bird’s a kind o’ religion with me.”

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read - truly! I read it to my boys and they wouldn't let me stop...who-da thought a book about Cardinal books would be so charming. Gene Stratton-Porter is one of the master storytellers of her time.

[Stephanne Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a touching short story with a wonderful climactic end. The speech given by the farmer is worth the entire book. A book of integrity.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and simple. This was like The Keeper of the Bees: it took a minute to get into it, then I fell in love, then the ending was quite abrupt and different from the rest of the book. I did love Abram's pages-long speech to the hunter at the end: "To my mind, ain't no better way to love an' worship God, 'an to protect an' 'preciate these fine gifts He's given for our joy an' use."

One more part of the scathing rebuke to the hunter: "All the time God ever spent on you was wasted, an' your mother's had the same luck. I s'pose God's used to having creatures 'at He's made go wrong, but I pity your mother. Goodness knows a woman suffers an' works enough over her children, an' then to fetch a boy to a man's estate an' have him, of his own free will an' accord, be a liar! Young man, truth is the corner-stone o' the temple o' character. Nobody can put up a good buildin' without a solid foundation; an' you can't do solid character buildin' with a lie at the base. Man 'at's a liar ain't fit for anything! Can't trust him in no sphere or relation o' life; or in any way, shape, or manner. You passed out your word like a man, an' like a man I took it an' went off trustin' you, an' you failed me."

It goes on and on and on. So good.

[Gail Sacharski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful & inspirational story, one of Stratton-Porter's earliest, about a beautiful male cardinal. Born in the Limberlost, largest specimen of his kind, strong, cocky & handsome, this redbird is full of life & adventure. He discovers a beautiful area of the countryside some distance from his homeland Limberlost, a shining riverside full of sunlight & plenty that attracts him. After the migration flight to the Florida orange groves with his family for the winter, he befriends a young girl & her grandfather who leave him delicious treats. When it's time to return to Indiana, the cardinal decides to abandon his home forest for the abundant river where he comes to the attention of the farmer whose land borders the river. The man resembles the grandfather who'd fed him over the winter so the cardinal feels happy & safe in his new home. The search for a mate begins &, after a difficult time, he finally finds a dainty female full of spirit to build a nest with. Their idyllic life isn't without danger--other birds, predators, hunters--all are part of Nature's cycle. But through it all the changing song of the cardinal prevails & celebrates love & life. A lovely story.

[Daniela Sorgente · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book, written in 1906, tells the story of a few months, from spring to autumn, of the life of a Red Cardinal bird, a species typical of the United States. There are also two human protagonists, Adam and Maria. Together with the Cardinal we experience the period of the search for a mate, finally the long-awaited meeting and the formation of a family, up to the autumn migration. Adam and Maria follow from afar the progress of the Cardinal who builds the nest in a tree on their farm.
At a certain point Adam saves the Cardinal and his family from a hunter: with a long speech, one of the most beautiful parts of the book, he manages to convince the hunter to abandon hunting for life.
The descriptions of nature are magnificent.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life of a Cardinal

Very well written account of a cardinal born, learning how to fly, mating and having young ones. Lots of descriptions of the places he went, where he decided to live, his attempts to find a mate and his joy in having young. A farmer and his wife are a part of his story as well as a hunter who comes to kill for sport. The couple delights in the Cardinal family and after the Hunter shoots at the bird, he gets an earful from the man! Enjoyable if you like nature and birds. Gene Stratton-Porter was a naturalist and loved the outdoors, so this was a good subject for her!

[Naomi Bigelow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first of her books that I read as a young teen; it cemented my love of cardinals permanently. The way she described the interaction between the cardinal and his mate was so 'humanized' that it inspired me to observe all wildlife more closely. I own a battered, very worn early edition of this book and treasure it.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a simple story, describing the first season of a beautiful male cardinal. What makes it remarkable is the spirit and directness of the writing style. This short tale is entirely captivating and well worth reading, to experience a view of nature, both that of bird and man.

As it says in the final chapter, “Whole earth's a sanctuary. You can worship from sky above to grass under foot.”

[AngieA Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am going back to read all the Stratton-Porter I may have missed. All of her delightful description of the cardinal and his quest for a mate and the farmer and his wife that become involved in nurturing the pair is so representative of her love of nature. Color, sound, smell so well portrayed that one becomes immersed.

[Tom Helmick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought for years to be her first work of fiction, this read like a first. It contained all the ingredients that would flow more easily in years to come, but it was fun to read and see her beginnings.

[Xavier University Library]

Gene Stratton-Porter is an Indiana author. She wrote in early 1900s about nature. I learned about her from a trip for Indiana Master Naturalist program 3 years ago to her home. This book was about the life of a big cardinal and his life with a farmer who watched him grow.

[Linda M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another conservation themed book by the author of Freckles and A Girl of the Limberlost. This one is about a cardinal, obviously. It's cutesy and gets it's message across, but the writing style is just too dated to take it really seriously.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The life cycle of a cardinal from egg to fatherhood and back to the beginning. It is fun to watch how the birds will sometimes attach themselves to a place and certain people. We love watching our birds.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was young and it was just as good as I remember. It is a book about a male cardinal and his life. There is also a farmer and his wife that are minor characters. It is a really charming little book.

[Hannah Nykamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t know what to expect from this book but since I loved the first book I read by this author I thought I would try it. A sweet story with an unexpected main character, pointing out the delight and amazement of the natural world God has created for us.

[Gale Turco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this sweet little story of a lovesick male Cardinal and his efforts to find a mate. Such rich descriptions that I felt like I was there in the woods watching the birds in real time. Wonderful and captivating.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm trying to read these older books, but they are hard to get into. This was a fairly fast read; and like any documentary you watch on TV, outlines the animals mating habits. The elderly man and his spiel drags on and really made the book slow.

[Ann Mekala · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gene Stratton-Porter was my favorite author as a child so I’m revisiting some of my favorites. I see why I loved her writing. Some beautiful descriptive bits about nature . But somehow a book about birds manages to be so sexist and racist.

[Rod Innis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.