And came there never again as a living man.

[Inziladun]

I always took that to mean simply that he never returned there for the rest of his life.
As for his spirit, who can say?

[Gordis]

I think it is the same sort of seemingly ambiguous, poetic statement as the words about the Witch-King:

But lo! the mantle and hauberk were empty. Shapeless they lay now on the ground, torn and tumbled; and a cry went up into the shuddering air, and faded to a shrill wailing, passing with the wind, a voice bodiless and thin that died, and was swallowed up, and was never heard again in that age of this world.

The ultimate fate of Men remains a big unanswered question...

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

So, you're saying that it is just a poetic statement, that it just means that Aragorn just didn't go there again? It has noting to do with him going there after death?

[Oddwen]

Right. He may have returned there in thought, but never again in body.

[Sardy]

I'd never noticed that passage, or at least never gave thought to its implications. The question that I'm left with now is why did Aragorn, as King Elessar in the Fourth age, not ever visit Lothlorien? After the War of the Ring had ended, my impression was that he had spent much time travelling Middle-earth, even visiting the Shire. Was he simply too busy to ever return to Lothlorien?

One would think that his relationship with the elves, and his marriage to Arwen in particular, would almost necessitate a visit at some point...

I wonder if there is a particular reason that he never returned? Was he unwelcome there?

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Sardy

I'd never noticed that passage, or at least never gave thought to its implications. The question that I'm left with now is why did Aragorn, as King Elessar in the Fourth age, not ever visit Lothlorien? After the War of the Ring had ended, my impression was that he had spent much time travelling Middle-earth, even visiting the Shire. Was he simply too busy to ever return to Lothlorien?

One would think that his relationship with the elves, and his marriage to Arwen in particular, would almost necessitate a visit at some point...

I wonder if there is a particular reason that he never returned? Was he unwelcome there?

Too busy doesn't seem all that unlikely to me. He had a kingdom to look after. He did do some traveling obviously, but that seems to have primarily been between Gondor and Arnor. There is no evidence he even returned to Rivendell again, his childhood home.
Why would he have felt a pressing need to go back to Lórien? Nostalgia? He doesn't seem much disposed to that to me. Galadriel and Celeborn both were gone, and I don't see much to draw him back there. After all, Arwen was with him.

[Findegil]

Considering that it was at Cerin Amroth that Arwen in the end laid down to recive the gift of Eru to mortals, I am not that sure that Aragorn had no part in this as fea coming to her before he left for Mandos. We have seen such things before with Gorlim the Unhappy, traitor of Barahir, or Beleg comforting Túrin at Eithel Ivrin.

Respectfully
Findegil

[CSteefel]

Originally Posted by Sardy

I'd never noticed that passage, or at least never gave thought to its implications. The question that I'm left with now is why did Aragorn, as King Elessar in the Fourth age, not ever visit Lothlorien? After the War of the Ring had ended, my impression was that he had spent much time travelling Middle-earth, even visiting the Shire. Was he simply too busy to ever return to Lothlorien?

One would think that his relationship with the elves, and his marriage to Arwen in particular, would almost necessitate a visit at some point...

I wonder if there is a particular reason that he never returned? Was he unwelcome there?

I believe that Lothlorien was deserted relatively soon after the departure of Galadriel. Celeborn evidently lived there a short while, but then went to live with the sons of Elrond. So I doubt that Aragorn had any reason to go...

But you may be right, that this prefigures the death of Arwen on Cerin Amroth, and perhaps goes back to what Aragorn says just before he dies:

Behold! we are not bound for ever to the circles of the world, and beyond them is more than memory.

It seems possible that Aragorn and Arwen are reunited at this site in death...