What is the summary of "Before the Beginning of Years" by Algernon Charles Swinburne?

"Before the beginning of years" is the first line of one of the choruses from the play "Atalanta in Calydon" by Algernon Charles Swinburne. The play itself is a tour de force, an attempt to create an Aeschylean drama in English, not by translating Aeschylus but by choosing a similar theme (an important Greek myth) and then reproducing a lush, grand, and complex style of English verse that follows many of the principles of...

"Before the beginning of years" is the first line of one of the choruses from the play "Atalanta in Calydon" by Algernon Charles Swinburne. The play itself is a tour de force, an attempt to create an Aeschylean drama in English, not by translating Aeschylus but by choosing a similar theme (an important Greek myth) and then reproducing a lush, grand, and complex style of English verse that follows many of the principles of classical Greek prosody.

Basically, Meleager's father offends the goddess Artemis. Artemis sends a wild boar to ravage his land. Atalanta is a virgin priestess of Artemis and a renowned huntress. Both Meleager and Atalanta are part of a competition to kill the boar. They fall in love while hunting. Meleager kills the boar and honors Atalanta by giving her the spoils of the hunt. Meleager's brothers attempt to attack Atalanta, and Meleager kills them. Meleager's mother kills him in revenge for his killing his brothers. 

This particular chorus, like many of those in Greek tragedy, is a meditation on human nature. It argues that humans are moved by passions which can lead them to both joy and despair, love and hatred. It emphasizes the dualities of our natures and experiences and how our capacity for momentary greatness, love, and joy is balanced by our mortality.