Formal — to stranger
Cultural · Traditional · Arts
それでは、詩吟を一席、披露させていただきます。 — Now, allow me to perform a piece of shigin (poetry chant). (Cultural · Traditional · Arts, Formal — to stranger, JLPT N2)
You
それでは、詩吟を一席、披露させていただきます。
それでは、しぎんをいっせき、ひろうさせていただきます。
Now, allow me to perform a piece of shigin (poetry chant).
Romaji: Soredewa, shigin wo isseki, hirou sasete itadakimasu. / Reply Romaji: Onegai itashimasu.
Reply
お願いいたします。
おねがいいたします。
Please, go ahead.
Gesture & etiquette
Stand or kneel in seiza facing the audience. Bow deeply (about 45 degrees) from a stationary position before speaking. After announcing, pause for two breaths, fold your fan (扇子) in your lap, and begin chanting from the diaphragm. The voice should be deep and resonant.
Shigin is the dramatic chanting of classical Chinese and Japanese poems, often performed at formal gatherings, weddings, or memorial events. 「一席」 (isseki) is the counter for one performance piece. 「披露させていただきます」 is humble form of 「お見せします」. Before chanting, performers bow deeply, settle their breath, and announce the poem's title and author.