Odyssey 3.51 · Book 3, lines 51–53
Athena is pleased with a just man
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ὣς εἰπὼν ἐν χειρὶ τίθει δέπας ἡδέος οἴνου· χαῖρε δʼ Ἀθηναίη πεπνυμένῳ ἀνδρὶ δικαίῳ, οὕνεκα οἷ προτέρῃ δῶκε χρύσειον ἄλεισον·
So saying, he placed in her hand the cup of sweet wine; and Athena rejoiced at the wise and just man, because he gave her the golden goblet first.
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The setting
Peisistratus finishes speaking and hands the cup to the disguised goddess.
A note on this passage
The gesture lands and the goddess responds. Peisistratus sets the cup in her hand, and Homer tells us Athena was glad — glad at a man who was wise and just, because he had honored her first. The disguise holds on the human side; on the divine side, the courtesy has been seen and weighed.
The words 'wise and just' are the poem's own verdict on Peisistratus, delivered through the goddess's pleasure. In a world where hospitality is constantly tested, getting the small things right — who is honored first — marks a man as one the gods favor. It is a quiet promise about this household: here is a family that does θέμις correctly, and heaven notices. The contrast with the suitors, whom the gods are preparing to destroy, is exact.
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