The key is a very melancholic F minor, though the cadences and chord progressions employed by Ireland are never finished and are constantly left hanging, even on the final chord. This piece carries a dedication to Alfred Chenhalls. "The Palm and May" is prefixed with the fifth line from "Spring, the Sweet Spring", a poem from Thomas Nashe's poem cycle "Summer's Last Will and Testament":"  This piece, in contrast to the preceding one, is full of mirth and gaiety. The fast tempo markings ("Con moto"; = 6366) and 6/8 time signature conjure up an image of a country dance or jig. The left hand paints most of the colour in the opening section with constant falling and rising arpeggios, while the right hand introduces the first theme. The E major start soon transposes into a section in A-flat major, where both hands bounce around with a dotted melody which is the second theme. This section turns slightly slower and less jolly with scales up and down in the right hand which rise and get quicker before a "brillante" slide down the keys leads neatly into a recapitulation of the first theme. The gaiety continues on into a final flourish at the end. The piece carries a dedication to Harriet Cohen.